North African Cuisine ® spices – black pepper, long pepper, cinnamon, cassia, nutmeg,

mace, sesame seed and saffron

® North Africa is considered to be the countries of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia
® known as the Maghreb, from the Arabic word “west”. ® Muslim dietary restrictions
® cooking is done almost exclusively by women.  halal – permissible
® cuisine of Maghreb, spicy stews, couscous, dry pastries, super-sweet syrups  haram – impermissible
and preserved lemons and olives.  avoidance of pork, improperly slaughtered animal, alcohol,
rennet (used in making cheeses), gelatin and carnivores (birds
HISTORIC CULINARY INFLUENCES of prey)
1. The Indigenous Berbers
® the Berbers are often considered the indigenous people of North ® Dietary influence of Muslim faith
Africa.  combination of meat and fruits
® These are hunter-gatherers  use of nuts in thickening sauces
® methods of sun drying and spicing meat in strips (khlii) and  techniques in making thin pastry
preserving them in fats.  honey -oaked pastries
® roasting whole lamb over a fire on a spit (called mechoui).
5. The Jews
® common ingredients to their diets are wheat, fava beans, barley and
dates. ® Jewish dietary customs and laws:
 abstinence from pork, shellfish, birds of prey, blood and
® their diet is composed of edible plants, hunting game and herding
improper slaughtered animals and practices of not working on
sheep.
Saturdays.
2. The Phoenicians ® Jewish influence Dafina
 is a stew that is cooked from Friday until Saturday and
® Phoenician traders began to infiltrate and trade via the
eaten for lunch on Saturday.
Mediterranean.
Mahia – distilled fig and anise liquor
® they introduced pomegranates, olives, grapes, lentils and figs.
Tabikha – a beef and onion stew common among Algerian
® and cultivation techniques to grow these products. Bkaila – a stew of okra and lamb from Tunisia
Coclo – large meatballs made from ground veal or beef, rice and spices Algeria
3. The Roman Empire
® Romans organized the agricultural efforts 6. The Moors
® production of large mountains of wheat and olive oil ® composed of mixed cultures, Berbers, Arabs and Spanish and Sicilians
® development of irrigation systems ® the group that conquered Spain (Morocco, Algeria and Sub-Saharan
® influence on the development of these irrigation and farming Africa)
technique ® conquered Sicily (Algeria and Tunisia)
® influenced tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and chiles.

4. The Arabs 7. The Ottoman Empire

® Introduction of Islam ® Ottoman Empire was a blend of native Turkish cuisine influences:
® Prophet Mohammed beginning of Muslim Faith  sweet halvas (sweet made from ground nuts with butter and sugar)
  baklava (honey-soaked pastries)
 briks and warka ( thin sheets of pastry)
® traditional Ottoman Empire stuffing foods
 dolmas (stuffed vine leaves, often grape leaves)
 chorbas (soups)
® Ottoman Empire introduced the use of flower essence into cooking:
 rose water
 orange water
8. European Colonization
® Spain controlled the coastal area of Morocco for about 50 years starting in
1904.
® introduction of the classic French mother sauces
® use of sachets (herbs and spices contained in a porous bag)
® in Tunisia, Italian influences are pasta and pasta sauces
® British left mark in a form of practice of taking tea.
® green tea with mint is common in Morocco.
UNIQUE COMPONENTS
A. Grains, Legumes, Olive oil and Herbs
® common in North African diet (grains, olive oil, legumes; meats
from sheep and goats)
® Wheat is the main grain grown in this region
® the most common use of the grain is in the form of couscous and
bread.
® the main legumes are chickpeas, fava beans and lentils.
® olives are grown in Mediterranean climate.
® Olive oil is used on North Africa cooking to deep fry, sear foods,
dressing and marinades.
® the main herded animals are Sheep (mutton ”adult” and lamb
“young”) and goats .
® other protein sources pigeon, chicken and fish
tagines – a stew like dish made in an earthenware vessel)
B. Religious Influences: ISLAM
® Vast majority of North Africans are Muslims
® Quran (the written text to which followers of the faith adhere)
® HARAM - foods that are considered untouchable
® HALAL – those that are permitted
® excluded in the Muslim Diet
pork, four-footed animals that catch prey with their mouths,
any naturally deceased animals, improperly slaughtered
animals (proper slaughter is done by cutting the jugular,
carotid artery, and windpipe and draining of blood), blood
birds of prey and alcoholic beverages,
® Muslim observe periods of fasting
® month-long fasting during Ramadan
® six days of the following month called (Shawwak)
® they only allowed to eat (HARIRA - a thick soup made from lentils and
chickpeas)
® At the end of the fasting specially on Ramadan they feast on cook split
roasted lamb and tagines lamb with their family.
C. Stewing, Teaming, and Baking (the foundation of Maghreb Cuisine)
® Stewing, Simmering and Baking cooking methods common in
Maghreb.
® these stews also provide the flavorful broths and sauces that are used
to wet and flavor the couscous and bread that provide the backbone of
the cuisine.
® m’qualli – tagine was seasoned with saffron and ginger
® m’hammer – tagine flavored with cumin and paprika
® couscous – been steamed three times, wetted in between each
steaming with cold water, and rubbed with fingers to separate the
grains.

® bread is also common food in the cuisine
® it was traditionally baked in a communal oven shared by the people in
the community
® best breads come from these communal ovens called ferrans.
® pasta is also common here
® red sauces that remind one of the tomato-based sauces so common in
Southern Italy.
® in French, use of sabayon to make ice cream,
® baguettes to make stuffed sandwiches called croute tunisten.

D. Salted-Preserve Lemons and Olives II. Algeria

® l’hamd mrakad - salt-preserve lemon ® Algeria is the largest of the countries in the Maghreb
® oil-cured - salt preserved olives ® Algeria was more influence by the Turks
® salted olives take well over a month to properly salt-cure. ® Chorbas (Turkish soups)
® the salt-cured lemons and olives that are part of North African cuisine ® Dolmas (Turkish stuffed leaves)
provide some of its unique flavor and character. ® Boureks (Turkish stuffed pastries)

E. Spices from the East and West
® Eastern spices common in the cooking of North African Cuisine
® cumin, coriander, caraway, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and peppercorn, III. Morocco
saffron, chiles
® harissa – spice paste common in the region
F. Eating, and Cooking Customs
® Eating customs in this region are very unique and encourage a strong
sense of family.
® eating is done by only using the right hand and food is picked up with
three fingers unless particularly difficult to manage.
® using left hands are considered a sign of uncleanliness
® most foods are served with bread, and the bread is used as a utensil to
scoop the food along with the three fingers
® cooking traditions in North Africa has been passed from mother to
daughter
SIGNIFICANT SUBREGIONS
I. Tunisia
® briks (thin sheets of dough)
® pastries
® sweetmeats
® spice paste Harissa – olive oil, caraway, chiles and garlic.
® merguez – a small lamb sausage that found fresh and dried
® couscous, tagines and other stew are more common on Maghreb.
® Morocco is well-known for its expert use of spices in the
traditional cuisine.
® cinnamon, saffron, cumin, dried ginger, dried turmeric, paprika,
chiles, all spice, peppercorns, and caraway
® spices are often combined with preserved lemons, nuts, olive oil
and dried fruits
® common dishes
® bisteeya – a layered pastry filled with mean and seasonings
® great fish tagines made with chermoula (spiced marinade) and
cooked with tomatoes and peppers
® i’hamd mrakad – preserved lemons
® seasoned with ages smen – clarified, flavored and aged butter
® seksu (couscous)
® warka (thin pastry sheets)