Among the early Muslims of Medina, there is no separation of starter, main course, and dessert: everything is laid out together on a mat (sufra) placed directly on the ground. People eat sitting down, with the right hand, from shared dishes: a base of dates and milk opens and closes the meal, barley bread serves as an edible utensil, and meat appears only on feast days. Travel and fasting impose their own forms: dried foods that keep well, drinks that quench thirst without alcohol.

Absolute pivot of 7th-century Arabian diet: desert sugar, alms currency, caravan provision, and remedy. The Prophet recommended breaking the fast with it; Abu Bakr, merchant of Mecca, knew all its varieties. It is eaten alone, crushed with butter, or steeped as a drink.