Mediterranean Greens: Akub and Alosh

[Miriam Kresh]

On a recent trip to the north of the country, I wandered around the shuk and found akub, tiny artichokes on thin stems. I had cooked these years before, and found them delicious, but never did find out if they're just tiny artichokes or are a separate botanical variety. The flower heads are only as big as a thumbnail, and their stalks are quite spiney. They only take about 10 minutes to cook, and don't taste much of artichoke but have their own good flavor. I remembered them as tasting quite artichoke-like, but that may be a false memory, or maybe I cooked this batch too late (2 days after purchase), and lost the flavor.

Another new vegetable was aloosh, a wide, dark-green leaf with a red root. The Beduin lady who sold them told me to chop them coarsely, steam them briefly and squeeze them out, then mix the cooked mass with egg and shape it into patties, to be fried in olive oil. It it quite bitter. I didn't make patties, but rinsed the chopped, cooked leaves in warm water very quickly, then sauteed them in olive oil with some garlic and a squeeze of lemon. Very good! But I wish I knew another name for the leaves, so I could look it up and find out more about them. Can anyone help?

Miriam

[Daniel Rogov]

Miriam, Hi...

Transliterating back to Arabic and then Hebrew, I think the following might be possibilities.

Akub is Arabic for cardoons (no name in Hebrew....the Arabic is used)

Aloosh is Arabic for chicory (olesh in Hebrew)

[ChefCrash]

Two sweet old ladies from a near by village, selling Akub door to door in Deirmimas Lebanon.

Close up.

Mnazzali, is another dish you can make with the tough parts of Akub.

[Miriam Kresh]

Rogov, hi,

I thought akub was cardoons also, but the vegetable I have doesn't resemble the long, silvery-green, celery-like stalks I've seen in photos. I have also seen those celery-like stalks for sale in the shuk, and they don't look like akub. Akub only takes 10-15 minutes to steam or braise till tender, while I understand that cardoons take much longer.

Alosh is something else. I know chicory, it's related to dandelions and has a blue flower. I don't pick it in the wild as it seems rare (indeed I pick very few wild greens anymore except for nettles, chickweed, and purslane, as so many of them are disappearing from our landscape). At any rate, I've finally understood how to post photos to the forum, so here are a couple that may help.

And my mistake: the name of the second vegetable is alosh, not aloosh.

Chefcrash, those photos are lovely, the first one especially is so evocative. In the second photo, I see that while the bundle on top has its flower heads, the bottom bundles have had them removed.

Would you like to tell me how to cook mnzazzali? Actually, can you also give a recipe for akub? Not having the tradition, I've just been making up recipes. Steamed, then under bechamel; a blended soup; braised with lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. All tasty, but I'd like to know some traditional ways.

First photo is akub, the second alosh.

Miriam

[ChefCrash]

Hi Miriam,

Chefcrash, those photos are lovely, the first one especially is so evocative. In the second photo, I see that while the bundle on top has its flower heads, the bottom bundles have had them removed.

The Akub in your photo are the tender hearts with the tougher stems and thorns removed. The bundles in my photo are how they look like right out of the ground.

Your preparation of Akub (steamed and sauteed in olive oil), is the traditional one.

Mnazzali't Akub:

1 C canned chick peas drained

2 lb Akub, 1 inch chop

1 C onions diced

3/4 C olive oil

water

salt and pepper

Saute 1 cup onion in 3/4 cup olive oil (I know it sounds like a lot) til lightly blond.

Add Akub,season and saute ~ 10 minute.

Add water to barely cover everything and simmer covered until the Akub is tender.

Add chick peas and season to taste and simmer further.

The result should not be soupy, but more like a stew.

If you prefer to used dried chick peas, they must be soaked overnight and must be added to the skillet in the beginning.

The Alosh in the photo, we refer to as 3ilt or wild hinbeh. Your preparation (cooked leaves in warm water very quickly, then sauteed them in olive oil with some garlic and a squeeze of lemon.) is our preferred way as well. Peasant food at its best.

[Miriam Kresh]

Thank you, Chefcrash, I'm happy and surprised to know that I've sort of intuitively figured out how to cook the alosh. The mnazzali't akub sounds delicious; I'm going to make that up tomorrow because the akub I haven't cooked up already is 4 days old. Well wrapped in the fridge, but getting elderly, I'm afraid.

Another green I found up north was dandelions, which only grow in the cold hilly regions here. Those I didn't buy; I dug them up myself. I like to chuck a handful into soup, but mostly I make dandelion beer out of the leaves and roots. And one more wild green - garlic. I love the delicate white flowers in salad, but the ones I brought home, I'm allowing to go to seed in order to plant. It seems to me that I see less and less wild garlic on my tramps through wild places and abandoned properties; planting it will hopefully boost the population. The tiny bulbs should take better than the seeds, but it's worth trying everything.

Miriam

[FoodMan]

Fascinating stuff everyone. I am afraid to say I've never eaten Akob before even though I was raised in Lebanon and have eaten the wild hinbeh many many times. I have never seen Akob in the US either. Thanks for sharing the pics Chef and Miriam

now on to

I make dandelion beer out of the leaves and roots

More details please???

[ChefCrash]

Thanks Foodman, I think I read somewhere that you grew up in Tripoli. Did Akub grow in the mountains that far north in Lebanon?

Miriam, I googled 'Akoob' and found one reference linking Akub to 'Gundelia tournefortii'

here.

Hope it helps.

[melamed]

Thanks Foodman, I think I read somewhere that you grew up in Tripoli. Did Akub grow in the mountains that far north in Lebanon?

Miriam, I googled 'Akoob' and found one reference linking Akub to 'Gundelia tournefortii'

here.

Hope it helps.

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I love the plant questions and will answer even if they are from years ago:

Chefcrash is right about the Akoob the latin name is Gundelia tournefortii

Alosh (Olesh?) is Cichorium pumilum