Making Nishalda, Tajikistan's Ramadan Treat

Almost every Tajik family has a dessert called nishalda with their evening meal during Ramadan. The dessert is made from water and sugar boiled for an hour, egg whites, lemon juice, the root of the nishalda plant, vanilla, and anise. Tajiks say that starting and ending the fast with a bit of nishalda relieves one's hunger during the day.