Food from the Arab World

[Jason Perlow]

Food From the Arab World (click)

I was doing some Google searches today and came up with this really cool website. Lots of stuff in here I've never eaten or heard of. It's a book that was published in Lebanon in 1959.

[Smithy]

Very cool indeed. Thanks for posting that link.

Hey! This Lebanese cookbook uses the word "tajin"! It's a fish tajin - fish cooked in sesame sauce. We now have that word in (at least) Moroccan, Egyptian and Lebanese cookery, although the cookware is different in each case. What does that word actually mean? Does it refer to a method of cooking, like a slow simmer? Cooking in a closed pot?

(My Elias Collegiate Arabic/English dictionary shows a frying pan, complete with long handle, in the tagine entry. That's completely unlike anything I've seen yet....)

Edited April 1, 2005 by Smithy (log)

[Behemoth]

The author names sounded familiar but I wanted to check before I said anything. Indeed, my mom had the 1965 edition. Sadly, it got lost somewhere between there and here. It is a great book, I think my mom depended on it quite a bit as a new bride. I think she will be happy to know there is an online edition!

Edited April 1, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Apparently, the book is still in print (or rather copies still exist to be bought) and you can order it from

Khayat's Bookshop

Bliss Street

P.O. Box 11-6091

Beirut, Lebanon

phone +961 1 344 998

email: bizou@cyberia.net.lb

[Behemoth]

Apparently, the book is still in print (or rather copies still exist to be bought) and you can order it from

Khayat's Bookshop

Bliss Street

P.O. Box 11-6091

Beirut, Lebanon

phone +961 1 344 998

email: bizou@cyberia.net.lb

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Thanks Jason, I might just pick up a copy when I'm there in June. For now, the internet is a wonderful thing!

[Swisskaese]

This is terrific. I am very excited about trying some of these dishes at home.

The recipe for Raqaqaat calls for "6 sheets of unbaked Jewish bread". Any idea what they are referring to? Is it Phyllo dough?

[touaregsand]

They have a couscous festival in Sicily.

I recall reading about a fish tajine dish served in Sicily in the Italy forum.

[Jason Perlow]

This is terrific. I am very excited about trying some of these dishes at home.

The recipe for Raqaqaat calls for "6 sheets of unbaked Jewish bread". Any idea what they are referring to? Is it Phyllo dough?

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I dunno, thats kind of weird that they would refer to Phyllo as "unbaked Jewish bread". Isn't phyllo of turkish origin, and isn't it fairly ubiquitous in the Middle East?

And doesnt Phyllo come in rectangular sheets, not circular?

[touaregsand]

This is terrific. I am very excited about trying some of these dishes at home.

The recipe for Raqaqaat calls for "6 sheets of unbaked Jewish bread". Any idea what they are referring to? Is it Phyllo dough?

For some reason Raqaqaat reminds me of the Rougag described in the "Beautiful Algeria" thread.

I think it refers to bread or pastry dough. "Unbaked Jewish Bread" sounds like a bad translation or the author had access to packaged unbaked bread from a store.

EDIT: I just read the other pastry recipes that include a recipe for dough. I have no idea now.

Edited April 1, 2005 by touaregsand (log)

[Behemoth]

This is terrific. I am very excited about trying some of these dishes at home.

The recipe for Raqaqaat calls for "6 sheets of unbaked Jewish bread". Any idea what they are referring to? Is it Phyllo dough?

For some reason Raqaqaat reminds me of the Rougag described in the "Beautiful Algeria" thread.

I think it refers to bread or pastry dough. "Unbaked Jewish Bread" sounds like a bad translation or the author had access to packaged unbaked bread from a store.

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This was written in the 60's, remember....

Raqiq means thin (as in tissue) in arabic, and the tissue-like bread dough is

"marquoq" so I assume it refers to thin dough, though I am not sure if by that they mean pastry-type dough or thin bread dough. I have no idea about the Jewish reference.

[Jason Perlow]

It should also come as no surprise that a Google search on "Raqaqaat" yeilds that very web page and exact copies of that recipe on other web sites.

[touaregsand]

All the other recipes have a pastry dough with the addition of some type of fat (olive oil, butter, samneh) except one which calls for a leavened bread dough.

So perhaps Raqaqaat is like Rougag, an unleavened dough for a very thin type of crepe.

[Behemoth]

Looking at it again, I bet they are referring to unbaked lavash. That would make total sense. (See photo)

Edited April 1, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[touaregsand]

It should also come as no surprise that a Google search on "Raqaqaat" yeilds that very web page and exact copies of that recipe on other web sites.

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I'm in the process of learning Arabic culinary terms. Not only do I have to deal with the numerous English spelling variations, I have to deal with French spelling variations as well. And all those dialects!

[touaregsand]

Looking at it again, I bet they are referring to unbaked lavash. That would make total sense. (See photo)

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I thnk you're correct about the type of dough.

But lavash is rectangular. Also in LA I've always seen it referred to as Armenian bread. Is it considered Jewish bread in the Middle East?

[Jason Perlow]

Armenian? So maybe its like an unbaked Lahmajun? Those are circular.

Okay now we actually have to figure out how to make some of these things.

[Jason Perlow]

You know, when I was in Israel, I had some similar pastries called "Moroccan Cigars". Those were made with phyllo dough, though.

Moroccan Cigars

Here's a pic of them:

Moroccan Cigars (picture)

[Behemoth]

Armenian? So maybe its like an unbaked Lahmajun? Those are circular.

Okay now we actually have to figure out how to make some of these things.

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I think lavash was probably the closest thing to markouk that would have been available to western readers in the 60s. Readers living in Lebanon would probably be familiar with marquouq anyway. Marqouq is a large circular very thin bread, and while the shape is different the consistency is similar to lavash. For the purposes of the recipe, the two doughs would be reasonably interchangeable.

Having said that, I am completely unfamiliar with this particular dish. Maybe Foodman or Zeitoun have a clue?

Touareg, I wonder if it would make sense for you to try and learn the arabic letters first, to become less dependent on variations in western spelling. I know in my case it helped to learn the korean alphabet first thing, so I wouldn't be as dependent on westernized spelling differences. (Plus then I had a fighting chance of getting the pronounciations right.) Very impressive though, Arabic is not the easiest language to learn!

Edited April 1, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[touaregsand]

You know, when I was in Israel, I had some similar pastries called "Moroccan Cigars". Those were made with phyllo dough, though.

In North Africa they are usually made with Brik pastry.

Touareg, I wonder if it would make sense for you to try and learn the arabic letters first, to become less dependent on variations in western spelling.

I'm planning on learning the alphabet as soon as a friend of mine gives me a book he has. I've searched online for a free copy of the alphabet but I couldn't find any. I'm also doing research on Arabic recipes so I'm stuck to a certain extent with the English/French spellings. When I see the words I'm not too confused, it's when I have to do a search without being aware of the spelling variations that I get a bit frustrated. Also all of my Arabic speaking friends speak different dialects. Otherwise I'm having a great time learning a new language!

[touaregsand]

Armenian? So maybe its like an unbaked Lahmajun? Those are circular.

Okay now we actually have to figure out how to make some of these things.

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I thought Lahmajun was flatbread topped with something, maybe tomato and cheese or a meat ragu. Growing up in LA with sometime spent in Glendale (an Armenian stronghold in So Cal) Lahmajun was introduced to me as Armenian pizza. The bread base for Lahmajun is indeed round. A round lavash, which would be like the Marqouq Behemoth describes.

[Jason Perlow]

Yeah, lahmajun are typically topped with a meat sauce, but I was thinking perhaps they exist in some unbaked, untopped form. Maybe not.

[Eden]

did anyone else notice the truffle recipe?

marinate one-inch cubes of truffle in oil & lemon juice, then skewer and grill them. can you imagine?

[touaregsand]

did anyone else notice the truffle recipe?

marinate one-inch cubes of truffle in oil & lemon juice, then skewer and grill them.  can you imagine?

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I asked about desert truffles in one of the forums, I never got an answer. I did a little research and truffles are found in the Middle East and North Africa. There is a company that sells canned Lebanese truffles. I've never tried them.

[Swisskaese]

You know, when I was in Israel, I had some similar pastries called "Moroccan Cigars". Those were made with phyllo dough, though.

Moroccan Cigars

Here's a pic of them:

Moroccan Cigars (picture)

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That is why I thought that they were referring to phyllo or brik dough. I can't imagine that it would be made with lavash.

After Pesach, I will try to make them with both crepe and phyllo (btw-you can get circular brik dough here) dough.

[Mabelline]

I just finished reading a 1970 book called "The Cooking of Bagdad" by Daisy Iny, in which she wrote marvelous descriptions of days past in Bagdad, Persia (she did not refer to it as Iran) and Lebanon. There were evidently truffles to be obtained very easily, for her recipes had the same ingredients: truffles to be cut into 1" cubes.

She was Jewish, and had moved to California eventually, in stages. A very nice read, if you can find it.