Iowa Dialog Center (IDC) served hundred cups of Ashure (Noah's Pudding) to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue. This service took place in several churches, universities, shelters, and cultural centers. The dessert was voluntarily prepared by ladies who are members of the IDC each. We hope such efforts will help different cultures and faiths to get closer to each other.

Limited number of volunteer Turkish ladies who are members of the IDC prepared all the ashure this year. If you liked the dessert ashure and are interested in learning how to prepare it, please contact us. Future workshops with volunteer tutors will be arranged accordingly. So, you may have the opportunity to voluntarily participate in next year's distribution, which will lead to share more ashure with more people at more locations.

Click to display the flyer used during the distribution.

Ashure (Noah's Pudding)

 A sharing of our culture, a symbol of unity, and a gift of friendship; this is to observe the tradition that celebrates the landing of Noah's ark.

 Sharing Noah’s pudding is a symbolic representation of the unity and essential relationship of humans to one another and to their Creator. Preparing the Noah’s pudding is a common practice among Muslim and Christian peoples around the Mediterranean.

 People prepare the pudding at home and send a bowl to each of the neighbors in their neighborhood. As tradition goes, the residents of forty houses to your east, west, north and south are considered neighbors. One has the responsibility of maintaining good relations with their neighbors regardless of what their religion or beliefs may be.

Story of Noah`s Pudding

It was thousands of years ago, a thousand years after Adam. A community was again at the threshold of catastrophe. This community abandoned worshiping one God; they had become a community of pagans. Adultery spread, those with power were oppressing the ones without power, and there was no justice. The level of humanity was no better than hyenas in the wilderness.

The Great Creator, because of His All-Compassion to them all and to all humanity, sent Noah. Therefore, literature has called this community Noah's Community (or Noah's People). Noah called them to one God, made sure that justice was founded and maintained, eliminated all evils in the society, as did Moses, David, Salih, Solomon, Jesus, Muhammad (p.b.u.them all) and the ones whose names we do not know, but believe in.

But people teased him and called him crazy. Later his wife joined the pagans in their betrayal. Noah suffered with his people for 800 years. He was very sincere in his faith to the Lord. One day God sent the Angel Gabriel to order Noah to build a ship. Inspired by God, Noah built the ship. God ordered him to take two of every creature, the believers, and his family, except his wife, in the vessel. Noah again told people about the flood, and warned them against it. But their response remained same.

The believers and animals boarded the ship and supplies were loaded. Then, God said to the sky "O sky! Let your water pour down". He said to earth "O earth, hold your water". The water started rising. As all nonbelievers were drowning with their all vices, a long and hard journey was awaiting Noah and the

believers, a long, tumultuous journey. Days had passed, and food was scarce. They were facing starvation. No food by itself was enough to make a good meal. Noah gathered all the foods and, mixing them, obtained a delicious meal. Believers survived through famine. The very next day, flood receded. Today we call the meal Noah prepared "Noah's Pudding". 

 WHAT IS ASHURA?

A fast-day among the muslims observed on the tenth day of the month Muharram, and derived from the Jewish Day of Atonement, celebrated on the tenth of Tishri (Lev. xvi. 29, xxiii. 27).

 The name is an Aramaic form of the Hebrew word "Asor" (the tenth), still to be found in a liturgical poem for the Day of Atonement (M. Sachs, "Festgebete der Israeliten," 4th ed., pt. iv. 88).

 HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Ashura’ is a day of great historical significance. On this day:

 • God accepted the repentance of Adam after his exile from Paradise
• God saved Noah and his companions in the ark
• God spoke directly to Moses and gave him the Commandments.
• On this same 10th of Muharram, Job was restored to health (from leprosy)
• Yunus (pbuh) was taken out from the belly of the fish;
• The sea was divided as the nation of Israel was delivered from captivity and Pharaoh's army was destroyed.
• Jesus was raised to Heavens

 THE TRADITION STILL CONTINUES TODAY!

The making of ashure is a common practice among Muslim and Christian people in the Middle East.

In Turkey, it is customary to prepare ashure at a certain time of the year. Christian communities throughout the Middle East prepare a similar sweet wheat dish, called hedik, amah or qamhiyyi.

Ashure prepared at home is shared with the neighbors. Generally people who prepare ashure send a cup to each of the neighbors.

One has responsibility of maintaining good relations with their neighbors regardless of what their religion or beliefs may be.