In memoriam : Rummana Zaman

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In Memoriam: Rummana Zaman


It is with profound sadness that we announce the untimely passing of our mom and the passionate owner of this blog, Rummana Zaman.

If there was anything our mom cherished more, it would almost certainly be her love for cooking. She discovered the joys of cooking at a very early age and sought gratification in watching others enjoy her homecooked meals. Growing up, it was a common occurrence for us to see countless well-wishers fondly recalling the delicious meals they had had in "Rummana's kitchen" somewhere in the past. She was known as someone who not only perfected many popular Bangladeshi dishes, but created many of her own as well. She was so creative and original that it was nearly impossible to predict what delightful meal she would be dazzling us with next.

We, as her children, of course had the privilege of being her experimental subjects throughout our entire lives. She was the kind of mother who was never satisfied no matter how much we devoured her delicious dishes. At the slightest hint of a craving, she would get busy in the kitchen, regardless of time or day. She never stopped showering us with her love through her food.We will always be grateful to her for spoiling us to no end and for simply being the best mother in the world. No meal would ever taste as good for us anymore.

Our mom started this blog in October 2007 as a way to reach out to the wider community, realizing there were many out there, just like her own children, who could use an extra hand in the kitchen. She took a lot of pride in writing down every single recipe, preparing the dishes to be photographed, and sharing the food with family and friends. Her handwritten manuscripts for these recipes reveal the level of care she took in getting every single detail right. She would often proofread the work on the website and correct the most minute details. She wanted to get the recipes just right, with the hope of bringing a smile to the next visitor of her site.

Our mom is no longer with us today. But her memories and her love for cooking will forever be enshrined in the form of her favorite blog. Although she left a number of unpublished recipes in her diary, we simply do not have the willpower to post them without her loving oversight. The very last dish (Taj Kabab) that she posted on the site in December 2013 will remain as the last and the 103rd recipe on this site - just the way she last saw it. Taj Kabab, coincidentally, also happened to be one of her and our all-time favorites.

Lastly, we want to thank you for all your kind support and words of encouragement over the last few years. Our mom loved reading all your comments, especially knowing how much you enjoyed a dish after trying it out from her site. We are sure she will still be watching over from the heavens. So please don't let your comments dry up simply because she is no longer present. And, if you are up for it, please consider making a small charitable donation to your favorite charity, or arrange a simple meal for a few poor, hungry kids in Bangladesh or elsewhere, in our mom's loving memory. Both of those activities, especially the latter, were her favorite.

Please keep our mom, Rummana Zaman, in your thoughts and prayers.

- Rahat, Nuzhat & Shafat
October 2014


23 comments:

Aisha said...

As-salaamu 'alaykum, I am so sorry for your (and our) loss. I find myself referring back to these recipes time and time again as I learn to cook. Often times, they were a saving grace for last minute guests and late-night cravings! I will certainly keep your mom in my very special prayers. Thank you all for maintaining this site. Lots of love and prayers your way!
-Aisha

ronyn said...

It is a shocking news for me as I am regular at this site and started learning cooking from here. Wherever you are, you will be always in my prayers. May Allah keep in peace.

Unknown said...

I am extremely sorry about your loss. This is one of my favourite cooking blogs, and it has helped a Bangladeshi student living in a foreign land find her way through Bengali cooking numerous times over the past few years. Your mother made Bengali cooking simpler without foregoing the authenticity of the dishes. Will be keeping your family and Mrs. Rummana Zaman in my prayers. May she rest in peace.

ELH said...

Praying for Rummana Zaman, whose blog has been immensely helpful and inspirational.

Unknown said...

Assalaam O Alaikum!

May Allah SWT have His mercy on her!! I am a Pakistani girl married a Bangladeshi guy in 2009, and it was only her recipes I've been following and impressing my in laws for over years now! I'm truly deeply saddened and shocked by this news. Even thought I don't know her, or have met her, she'll always live with me through the cooking she has taught me. I will be saying many prayers for her everytime I'll cook her food. May Allah keep you all strong!

daniellec said...

Very sorry for your loss. Rummana's blog is my favorite Bangladeshi food blog. I just made her alu bhaji this morning and have her delicious pulao in the fridge. I will continue to cook her amazing recipes.

blupeony said...

Inna lil lahi wa inna ilahi rajiun. This sad news broke my heart.She will be in my prayers..Sometimes You don't realize how much you got attached to someone whom you never even met ..May allah grant her jannah

psychocat said...

I am so sorry for your loss. I found this blog a couple of years back and have used several recipes. I am not a good cook at all but all the recipes turned out great. My thoughts are with you. Your mom did a fantastic job of putting this site together. Many people around the globe will keep coming back for these great recipes for years.

Unknown said...

Rummana aunty will be my favorite cooking mentor forever. I have tried many of her dishes from this blog. Her recipes taught me how to cook authentic bangladeshi food, both rich and regular dishes. I will never forget my last conversation with her over phone, 2 months prior to her departure, when she told me she will post some new recipes for me soon. She was so happy to learn that I use her recipes all the time. It just breaks my heart to think that she is no more. May Allah grant her Jannah...

Farhana Afroz said...

Innalillahi wa innna ilaihi rajiun.
I am so sorry to hear about Rumana Zaman. I have been visiting her blog for years now. I feel that I know her through her recipes. Please accept my sincere condolence. I pray that Allah grant her the highest place in Jannah, ameen.

genericambassador said...

Innalillahi wa innna ilaihi rajiun. I am very sorry for your loss. Throughout my years overseas, I have referred many times to your mother's recipes and they have brought me a lot of comfort. Unfortunately, I never left a comment to express my gratitude and I regret that. I was overseas for Eid once, and had fasted for the first an entire month for the first time. I did not have my family around to celebrate with me, I didn't even know a Muslim family who would invite me home for dinner. I looked through Auntie Rumana's recipes and can across the one for Kachhi biryani and spend the last day of Ramadan preparing and making this dish. It made me incredibly happy when it was successful, it made my Eid that year. Now I find myself overseas in another country and missing the comfort of home again and I so I turned to the blog to find this sad news. May Allah bring you comfort.

Lani said...

Thank you to aunty Rumanna's children for keeping this precious blog alive. I am saddened to hear that she is no longer with us but it was lovely to hear about the care she put into her food and posting accurate recipes. I love everything that I've cooked from this site and I hope to continue to learn more recipes from aunty's website. God bless her soul.

Unknown said...

I want to write the myriad of emotions I'm feeling after visiting this blog after a while but words are insufficient. How can this woman, whom I've never met/spoken to/communicated with, bring up this feeling of loss, is amazing. Rummama Aunty, you're missed. May Allah grant you the highest place in Jannah. Ameen.

Unknown said...

As Salaam o Aleikum, Have been an occasional visitor to this blog for recipes because my mother hailed from Chattogram district. Am deeply pained to know of Rummama Apa's demise. May her soul rest in peace and may Allah grant you the strength to bear the loss. Aameen.

Babu said...

I stumbled upon this blog in today (2016) looking for a certain recipe and learned with sadness of the founder's passing. May she rest in peace and you, her children know that she has never left, as her legacy lives on in your memories and in all the people finding inspiration though her recipes on this blog. Bless you.

Unknown said...

I have been visiting this blog only since a few weeks and just realized that its author is no more.
You were very lucky to have such a devoted mother and efficient homemaker, from whom you must have learnt many skills.
Her recipes seem authentic and I intend to try them very soon
May Allah grant her Jannah.
Zeenath A. Rahim

jasmine.y30 said...

I have followed a few of her wonderful recipes and feel deeply connected to her creativity. I just came across this blog today (2017), and wished to pass on my condolences. I am sorry for your loss. May she be in peace in heaven.

blupeony said...

May Allah grant Auntie Jannatul Ferdous...I remember her in my prayers.

Unknown said...

May her soul rest in peace!!!! Rummana Zaman had become an institution in herself as far as great recipes were concerned.....it is indeed with a heavy heart that I offer my heartfelt condolences to you...her Family on this great loss. Do keep her website going since there are a lot of people who will still cherish her classic recipes!!!

mahedi said...

i am very old fan of her blog and followed her recipes for many years... Rest in peace .. May allah grant her jannat!

Unknown said...

I just discovered your mother's blog because I happened to be at the local supermarket looking for pickled okra and one of the young employees showed me where it was. He proceeded to tell me that mashed okra is really delicious and very popular in his culture. I asked from whence he came and he said Bangladesh. I was so curious about this dish that I immediately googled mashed okra and found your mom's lovely blog. Although this is my first visit to the site, I am sad to see that she passed away. I'm so sorry, she sounded like a wonderful mother. I will make her mashed okra recipe in tribute to her. I hope I can do it justice!

Peace to you,
Stefanie
Brooklyn, NY

ZubierAbd said...

So sorry for your loss. I stumble upon this blog whenever I need to look up recipes when I am cooking. Currently I am living alone and having never learned how to cook while I was living at home in Dhaka, it has been an immeasurable resource for me to learn.

It is very heart warming to see this site up in memoriam for your mother. If it was possible, I would thank her for her wonderful recipes but since I cannot, I wish to thank you all.

Unknown said...

Innalillahi wa innna ilaihi rajiun. I would google this blog from time to time and did not realize that the owner had died a few years ago now. My own ma has passed, and I can't ask her for help in the kitchen. This blog is so valuable. I hope it stays up for many years for all of us who need Rummana's guidance to to enjoy the desi food of our motherland.