Appendix A Taste of Time: Modern Adaptations of Twenty-Two Recipes from the Kanz Al-Fawāʾid - Brill
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Appendix
A Taste of Time: Modern Adaptations of Twenty-Two Recipes
from the Kanz Al-Fawāʾid
Grilled quails.
Food photography by Nawal Nasrallah.
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648 Appendix
Sūbiya
Grain-based Digestive Beer (Recipe 430)
Makes 4 servings
A refreshing nutritious drink, good for winter and summer. The name survives in Egypt
to this day to designate comparable drinks; it is especially popular during the month
of Ramadan.
5 slices of a plain white loaf of bread
5 cups warm water
A sprig of parsley
¼ teaspoon crushed cardamom
A stick of cinnamon
Optional: a few tender citron leaves, washed; a sprig of tarragon, and a sprig of mint
………………………………
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Appendix 649
Put the pieces of bread in a bowl along with the water. Set aside for about 30 minutes
to allow the bread to soften. Mash the mix with your fingers, and strain it through a
fine-meshed sieve.
Pour the resulting liquid into a container with a lid. Add parsley, cardamom, cin-
namon stick, and the optional ingredients, if used. Cover the container, and set it aside
for a day or two at room temperature. Strain it again, and use it chilled with ice cubes,
and sweetened to taste.
Laymūn Māliḥ
Lemon Preserved in Salt (Recipe 609)
(Makes about 8 servings)
The salted lemons can be enjoyed as a delicious relish with other foods. They are also
used as an ingredient in many Kanz recipes.
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650 Appendix
6 lemons, washed thoroughly
About ¼ cup pickling salt
4 pieces of fresh ginger, each the size of an almond
4 sprigs of parsley
¼ teaspoon saffron
………………………………
Cut off both ends of four of the lemons, slit them like a cross, lengthwise, but do not
separate the quarters. Stuff the slits with salt, and pack the lemons tightly in a con-
tainer. Cover it, and set it aside for three days (at room temperature).
Take the lemons out of the container, and set aside the remaining liquid. Press them
by hand to extract some of their juice, which is to be added to the liquid that was set
aside. Discard all the seeds. Stuff each lemon with a piece of ginger and a sprig of pars-
ley. Pack them tightly in a container.
Extract the juice of the remaining two lemons, and add it to the juices that were set
aside. Add saffron to it, and pour it all over the lemons. There should be enough juice
to cover the lemons completely, add more if needed.
Cover the container, and put it away, at room temperature, preferably in a dark
place, for a week or so, and use. Refrigerate the remaining amount.
Ḥimmaṣ Kassā
Green Condiment of Mashed Chickpeas (Recipe 613)
(Makes 4 servings)
This is the precursor of today’s condiment of hummus bi-ṭaḥīna, which is made in a
much simpler way today.
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Appendix 651
1 cup boiled chickpeas
2 tablespoons tahini, stirred with water and wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of each
¼ cup finely ground walnuts, stirred with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon
wine vinegar
½ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped mint
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon each of caraway, coriander, black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon, all crushed
½ teaspoon salt
A quarter of a salted lemon (see recipe, p. 649 above), cut into small pieces
For garnish: olive oil, chopped pistachios, chopped parsley, cinnamon, and rose petals
(optional)
………………………………
Put all the ingredients, except the salted lemon, in a food processor, and pulse the mix
until it looks smooth. The mix should look green. Add more of the herbs if needed. The
consistency of the mix should be thick enough to pick up with a piece of bread. Add a
bit more lemon juice if needed.
Fold in the chopped salted lemon, and use. To serve a dish, spread the condiment on
a plate, drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the face of it, garnish it with chopped
parsley, and give it a light sprinkle of cinnamon and crushed rose petals if you like.
Zaytūn Mutabbal
Seasoned Olives (Recipe 567)
(Makes 6 to 8 servings)
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652 Appendix
Always handy and delicious as an appetizer.
1 cup black olives
¼ cup toasted walnuts, finely crushed
¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, finely crushed
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted whole, and then crushed
Half a salted lemon (see recipe, p. 649 above), finely chopped
¼ cup olive oil
………………………………
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and mix them well. If the mix looks a bit dry,
add more olive oil. Cover the bowl and set it aside for an hour or two, to allow the fla-
vors to blend, and use.
Jubn Ḥālūm Mutabbal
Seasoned Halloumi Cheese (Recipe 522)
(Makes about 6 servings)
A tasty way to serve this variety of mild white cheese.
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Appendix 653
½ pound halloumi cheese, cut into cubes
¼ cup red wine vinegar or lime juice
1 clove of garlic, mashed with a bit of salt
¾ cup toasted and crushed walnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon each of caraway and coriander seeds, toasted and then crushed
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup finely chopped mint
1 teaspoon rose petals, crumbled
For garnish: 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon toasted and coarsely crushed hazelnuts,
a bit of chopped mint, and coarsely crumbled rose petals
………………………………
Put the cubed cheese in a bowl. In a food processor, combine the wine vinegar (or
lime juice), mashed garlic, walnuts, olive oil, caraway, coriander, and ginger. Pulse the
mixture until it has the consistency of pesto. Toss it with the cheese in the bowl, along
with the chopped mint and rose petals. Taste it to see if it needs more salt. Cover the
bowl and set it aside for about an hour, to allow flavors to blend. Serve it drizzled with
olive oil, with a sprinkle of crushed hazelnuts and rose petals.
Ṣaḥna Kadhdhāba
False Fish Condiment (Recipe 259)
(Makes about 6 servings)
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654 Appendix
This condiment is an imitation of the real ṣaḥna made in Egypt with salt-cured ancho-
vies (ṣīr). The sumac juice used in this false ṣaḥna is meant to mimic its characteristic
pinkish hue.
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
½ cup finely chopped mint
½ cup walnuts, toasted and ground
½ cup tahini
¼ cup sumac juice, obtained by soaking 1/3 cup water with ¼ cup ground sumac, and
straining it
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon crushed sumac
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon crushed dried thyme
¼ teaspoon each of caraway seeds, coriander, black pepper, and ginger, all crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Half a salted lemon (see recipe, p. 649 above), chopped into small pieces
For garnish: chunks of salted lemon, olive oil, and crushed pistachios (optional)
………………………………
Put parsley and mint in a bowl and rub them between the fingers, with a bit of salt,
to crush them. Fold into them the ground walnuts, along with the tahini, sumac juice,
lime juice, crushed sumac, crushed garlic, thyme and the rest of the spices, and olive oil.
Fold in the chopped salted lemon, and taste it to see if it needs more salt. In consis-
tency, the condiment should be thick enough to pick up with a piece of bread. Serve
the condiment in small bowls, with a chunk of salted lemon on top, sprinkled with
pistachios (if used), with a drizzle of olive oil. Delicious with warm bread.
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Appendix 655
Takhlīl al-Shamār al-Akhḍar
Sweet and Sour Pickle of Fresh Fennel (Recipe 591)
(Makes about 6 servings)
An unusual pickle, refreshingly sweet and sour, and scented with rosewater. The recipe
recommends eating it after heavy meals because it aids digestion and dispels gastric
winds.
1 bulb of fresh fennel, cut into medium pieces (use only the tender parts)
1 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon each of toasted whole coriander and caraway seeds
A sprig of mint
1 teaspoon rosewater
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656 Appendix
Boil the cut fennel in wine vinegar until it is half-cooked. Drain it, and squeeze out the
extra moisture (keep the drained vinegar). Prepare the vinegar liquid as follows: Mix
the remaining vinegar with sugar, toasted seeds, mint, and rosewater.
Put the drained fennel in a container, and pour the prepared vinegar liquid on it.
There should be enough to cover the fennel pieces. Cover the container, and set it aside
for a week, at room temperature, and use. Refrigerate the remaining amount.
Kurunb bi-Laban
Yogurt Condiment with Cabbage (Recipe 517)
(Makes about 6 servings)
This is an interesting variation on today’s yogurt cucumber condiment of jājīk (called
jājaq in the Kanz, see recipes 518 and 519). Cabbage may be substituted with fresh fen-
nel, as in Kanz recipe 516, which uses only the tender parts of the bulb, very thinly
sliced, rubbed with salt, left aside to drain its liquids, and then used as in this recipe.
Half a small head of cabbage, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, crushed with a bit of salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup drained yogurt
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1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
For garnish: chopped mint leaves, black olives, and olive oil
………………………………
Boil the cabbage until done. Drain it and sprinkle it with salt, and set it aside to cool.
In a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients (except the garnishes). Fold in the cabbage
that was set aside.
Spread the mixture in a plate, and garnish it with chopped mint and black olives.
Give it a generous drizzle of olive oil, and serve.
Lūbyā
Succulent Fried Lamb and Black-Eyed Peas (Recipe 96)
(Makes 2 servings)
A very tasty small dish of lūbyā beans.
½ pound lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup cooked black-eyed peas (canned may be used)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 clove of garlic, sliced
¼ teaspoon of each of black pepper and salt
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Boil lamb in a small amount of water along with the oil. Let the meat cook gently until
all the water evaporates and the lamb starts to fry in its oil. Toss in the rest of the ingre-
dients, and continue stirring gently, until all the moisture is gone and the ingredients
brown lightly in the oil. Remove from heat and serve with warm bread.
Qaliyyat al-Shawī
Succulent Fried Roasted Meat (Recipe 35)
(Makes 2 servings)
Meat of roasted lamb or kid was relished when still hot and fresh. Leftovers from the
previous day’s roast had to be served differently, as in this succulent fry. Nowadays, this
reminds me of Fridays’ sandwiches made with leftovers from Thanksgiving’s roasted
turkey.
½ pound roasted meat (leftovers)
3 tablespoons oil
Your choice of spices and herbs (I used 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, and coriander,
tarragon, black pepper, and ginger, ¼ teaspoon of each)
1 tablespoon lime juice or wine vinegar
4 eggs (optional)
A bit of cinnamon for garnish
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Cut the roasted meat into thin slices, and in a wide skillet, fry it in the oil, along with
the herbs and spices and lime juice or vinegar. Continue stirring until the meat is nice-
ly browned and the seasonings start to emit a pleasant aroma. Taste it to see if it needs
more salt, and give it a light sprinkle of cinnamon and serve it with bread.
If using eggs, crack them open on the meat mixture, keep them whole, cover the
skillet, lower the heat, and let the eggs set, sunny side up. Sprinkle the eggs with salt
and another sprinkle of cinnamon, and serve.
Fūliyya
Fava Bean Stew with Meatballs and Eggs Sunny Side up
(DK, Appx. 30, p. 135)
(Makes 4 small servings)
A delicious way to serve the green fava beans.
6 ounces lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons oil, divided
½ pound ground meat
¾ teaspoon black pepper, divided
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¾ teaspoon crushed coriander seeds, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 clove of garlic, sliced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 cups (10 ounces) fresh fava beans, (frozen may be used), remove their skins
4 eggs
………………………………
Fry the lamb cubes in 1 tablespoon of oil, and set it aside.
Mix ground meat with ½ teaspoon each of black pepper, coriander, and salt. Shape
it into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter. Put them in a skillet wide enough to
hold them all comfortably in a single layer, along with the remaining oil, and about ½
cup hot water. Let them boil, turning gently to allow all sides to cook, until all the water
evaporates and only the fat remains. Add the fried meat that was set aside.
Add garlic, cilantro, fava beans, and the remaining black pepper, coriander, and salt.
Stir the pot for a few minutes, and then add ½ cup of hot water. Let it cook gently until
most of the liquid evaporates, and the fava beans are cooked.
Crack open the eggs over it, cover the skillet and let it simmer gently until the eggs
are set. Serve the dish with warm bread.
Iṭriya
Meatballs with Pasta (Recipe 86)
(Makes 4 servings)
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Iṭriya is strips of dried pasta noodle, about one-finger long. This dish tastes scrump-
tious and looks quite modern.
6 ounces lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons oil, divided
½ pound ground meat
¾ teaspoon black pepper, divided
¾ teaspoon crushed coriander seeds, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 small onion, baked and finely chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup boiled chickpeas (canned may be used)
4 ounces ribbon pasta noodles (such as bavette)
2 sprigs of dill, coarsely chopped
………………………………
Fry the lamb cubes in 1 tablespoon of oil, and set it aside.
Mix the ground meat with ½ teaspoon each of black pepper, coriander, and salt,
along with the chopped onion. Shape it into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.
Put them in a pot wide enough to hold them all comfortably in a single layer. Add the
remaining oil, and about ½ cup water. Let them boil, turning gently, to allow all sides
to cook, until all the water evaporates and only the fat remains.
Add the fried meat that was set aside, the remaining black pepper, coriander, and
salt, along with cilantro. Stir the ingredients gently for a few minutes. Add chickpeas,
pasta (uncooked), and dill. Pour on them 3½ cups hot water, there should be enough
water to cover the pasta. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and let it simmer gently, until
the pasta has cooked and absorbed most of the liquid in the pot (about 20 minutes).
Stir the pot gently twice while cooking.
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Bāmiya
Okra Stew with Lamb (Recipe DK, Appx. 29, p. 135)
(Makes 4 small servings)
This is the only okra recipe which survived from the medieval Arabo-Islamic world.
Nowadays, it is prepared more or less the same way, with the addition of the New
World tomato.
1 pound lamb on the bone, or cubed boneless lamb
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 pound fresh okra, cut off both ends of each okra, and cut it into 1-inch pieces (frozen
may be used)
¼ cup lime juice
………………………………
Boil the meat until cooked. Drain any remaining broth, which is to be strained and
set aside. Fry the meat in a pot until it starts to brown. Add onion, black pepper, salt,
cilantro, and garlic. Gently stir the ingredients for about five minutes.
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Meanwhile, prepare the okra. After cutting it, parboil it, strain it, and set it aside. If
frozen okra is used, it only needs to be rinsed.
Add the okra to the pot, along with the lime juice. Pour in the broth that was set
aside, there should be enough to cover the ingredients, add more hot water if needed.
Bring the pot to a boil, and then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the okra is
cooked and the sauce is reduced (about 15 minutes).
Ṭabīkh al-Mishmish al-Yābis
Dried Apricot Stew (Recipe 121)
(Makes about 4 small servings)
An enticing dish, delicately sweet and lusciously moist.
½ pound lamb cubes
2 tablespoons oil
½ cup dried apricots
Blanched and skinned whole almonds (the number should match that of apricots)
¼ cup raisins
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 piece of cinnamon, plus ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon chopped mint
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1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon saffron
………………………………
Boil the lamb cubes until done, and then take them out of the broth, and put them in
a pot along with oil, and fry them.
Insert an almond inside each apricot and add them to the pot, along with the rest of
the ingredients. Fold them gently with the meat, and pour about ¾ cup hot water on
them. There should be enough liquid to just cover the ingredients. Bring the pot to a
quick boil, and then lower the heat and let it simmer, covered, until the sauce is nicely
thickened and reduced (about 15 minutes).
ʿAṣāfīr Mashwiyya
Grilled Sparrows (Recipe 140)
(Makes 3 servings)
Instead of sparrows, I used the optional quails (sammān), suggested in the recipe.
Quails are a little bit larger than sparrows and available, frozen, at most Middle Eastern
grocery stores.
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6 quails, defrosted and ready to use
For the marinade: ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon,
½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 crushed clove of garlic, a pinch of saffron.
2 onions, cut in half
………………………………
Tie the legs of the quails, and rub them with the prepared marinade. Set them aside
for an hour or so. When ready to grill, rub them once again with the marinade, and
thread them through two parallel skewers to keep them from turning around while
grilling. Between each two quails, thread an onion half. Grill the birds, or broil them in
the oven, as I did. You also have the option of frying them. They may be served as snack
food. Offer them with small bowls of sauce made by combining soy sauce (to replace
the murrī of medieval times) whipped with a bit of lime juice and/or wine vinegar.
Lubābiyya
Sweet Chicken with Crumbs of Fresh Bread (Recipe 78)
This is an unusual chicken dish, a specialty of medieval Egypt, which tastes almost like
a dessert. The recipe calls for crumbs of fresh white bread; dried breadcrumbs may not
be substituted for this. Use only the pithy inside of the bread.
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1 whole chicken, boiled and fried, or use store bought rotisserie chicken
2 cups of crumbs from fresh bread, obtained by pulsing it in a food processor
¼ cup oil
1½ cups sugar syrup (see instructions below), or half sugar syrup and half honey
………………………………
Fry the crumbs in oil, until golden, and stir them into the hot syrup. Put the chicken
in a slightly deep platter, and pour the hot syrup all over it. It should be thick enough
to stay on the chicken and give it a glazed look. Skip dessert when you have this dish.
To make the syrup:
In a medium pot, combine 1½ cups sugar, 1¼ cups water, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 table-
spoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon rosewater. Boil the sugar mix until it reaches the
right consistency (about 10 minutes). The syrup is done if you put a drop of it in a sau-
cer and it keeps its domed shape and does not go flat. Remove the pot from the heat
immediately, and use.
Samak Maḥshī
Fried Fish Smothered in Tahini Sauce (Recipe 233)
(Makes 2 servings)
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A flavorful fish dish which offers a delicious way to use tahini, other than in the famil-
iar hummus condiment.
½ pound firm white fish, such as cod, cut into two pieces
For the fish rub: 2 tablespoons wine vinegar, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 teaspoon crushed
coriander, and ½ teaspoon salt
Flour for dusting the fish pieces
Oil for frying the fish (½-inch deep)
For the tahini sauce:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon oil
¼ teaspoon each of black pepper, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, rose petals, all
pounded
¼ teaspoon salt, or as needed
¼ cup of each of tahini, wine vinegar, and water
¼ teaspoon saffron or turmeric
………………………………
Combine the rub ingredients and smear the pieces of fish with it. Put the fish in a col-
ander set above a bowl, and set it aside for about an hour. When ready to fry, dust the
fish pieces with flour, and fry them in the hot oil. Brown them on both sides, and keep
them in a colander to get rid of the extra fat.
Fry onion in one tablespoon oil, until nicely browned. In a small bowl, combine
the spices and salt. In another bowl, whip together tahini, vinegar, water, and saffron
or turmeric. Add the contents of both bowls to the fried onion, and bring the mix to a
boil while stirring.
Place the fried fish pieces on a platter, and pour the prepared tahini sauce all over
them, and serve.
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Another Recipe for Samak Maḥshī
Fried Fish Smothered in Sumac Sauce (Recipe 234)
(Makes 2 servings)
A pretty fish dish. The savory and sour sumac sauce, enriched and thickened with wal-
nuts, is quite flavorful.
½ pound firm white fish, such as cod, cut into two pieces
For the fish rub: 2 teaspoons crushed coriander, 1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds, and
½ teaspoon salt
Flour for dusting the fish pieces
Oil for frying the fish (½-inch deep)
For the sumac sauce:
1 tablespoon each of sumac, oil, lime juice, chopped parsley, and chopped mint
¼ cup crushed walnuts
1 teaspoon crushed coriander
½ teaspoon each of dried thyme and ground caraway
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¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ clove of garlic, crushed (Kanz recipe says to add a small amount only)
Half lemon preserved in salt (see recipe, p. 649 above), chopped into small pieces
About ¼ cup water
………………………………
Combine the rub ingredients and smear the pieces of fish with it. Put the fish in a col-
ander set above a bowl, and set aside for about an hour. When ready to fry, dust the fish
pieces with flour, and fry them in hot oil. Brown them on both sides, and keep them in
a colander to get rid of extra fat.
In a small pot, combine all the sumac sauce ingredients, there should be enough
water to moisten the mix well. Add a bit more if needed. Let it boil, for 4 or 5 minutes.
Taste it to see if it needs more salt.
Place the fried fish pieces on a platter, and pour the prepared sumac sauce all over
them, and serve.
Bahaṭṭa Bayḍāʾ and Bahaṭṭa Ṣafrāʾ
White and Yellow Rice Pudding (Recipes 105 and 106)
(Makes 2 to 4 servings)
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This is a meatless pudding included in the chapter for main dishes. It is to be assumed
that such dishes were served alongside the familiar stews and porridges, or as a sweet
finale to a meal. On our modern tables, it is still served as a light refreshing snack food,
served warm or chilled.
3 cups milk
3 tablespoons rice flour
2 tablespoons butter
3½ to 4 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon rosewater
A stick of cinnamon
¼ teaspoon saffron, steeped in a small amount of hot water (for the yellow pudding)
Coarsely crushed pistachios for garish
………………………………
Combine all the ingredients (except for the saffron and garnish) in a medium pot.
Whisk the mix to remove all lumps, and then boil it gently on medium heat, stirring
constantly, until it thickens nicely (about 5 minutes).
Take half of it and put it in another pot, and stir in the steeped saffron with its water.
Stir the pudding on medium heat until it comes to a boil, and remove.
Immediately spread the pudding in somewhat deep plates, and garnish the sur-
face with pistachio. You may serve the two colors in the same plate, in a decorative
manner.
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Naqūʿ al-Mishmish
Dried Apricot Compote (Recipe 436)
(Makes about 3 servings)
A very refreshing snack food, simple, light, and luscious. The dried apricots will taste
moist, as if fresh, delicately sweet, and redolent of rosewater. The recipe recommends
it as a fine mezze (naql) snack.
12 dried apricots
½ cup rosewater
2 tablespoons sugar
Coarsely crushed pistachio, for garnish
………………………………
In a bowl, dissolve sugar in rosewater. Add the apricots to the liquid, there should be
enough to cover them. Cover the bowl, and set it aside for a day, at room temperature.
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Take the apricots out and arrange them in one layer in a sieve, and let them drain for an
hour or two. To serve, put the apricots in a bowl and garnish them with the pistachio.
Qarn Bārūq
Bārūq’s Horn (Recipe 309)
(Makes about 20 small pieces)
We have no certain information on who Bārūq was and why his name was associated
with these ‘horny’ syrupy pastries (see the recipe for possibilities). The way the pas-
tries are rolled, as described in the Kanz recipe, indeed makes them resemble small
cut horns.
2 cups white all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
About 2/3 cup water, room temperature
Oil for brushing the flattened dough
Oil for frying the rolls (1-inch deep)
One recipe of sugar syrup, see recipe, p. 666 above
Coarsely crushed pistachios, for garnish
………………………………
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Mix flour with salt. Combine melted butter with water, pour them on the flour, and
knead into a stiff dough—like pasta dough—and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Divide the dough into 4 portions, and roll out each one thinly with a rolling pin.
Brush the surface with oil, and roll the flattened sheet loosely, about three times or
until the roll is about one inch in diameter. Rolling loosely is important because this
will allow the inside of the pastry to cook well while frying. Separate the rolled part
with a knife, and cut the roll into about 3-inch long pieces, and arrange them on a tray,
repeat with the rest of the dough.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, and prepare a colander set over a bowl, and another
bowl to put the syrup. When ready to fry (on medium heat), carefully add the pieces,
making sure that the lengthwise ends are stuck to the dough so that they do not open
while frying. Put the finished ones in the colander to drain the extra fat, and as the oth-
ers fry, dip the finished ones in the syrup (at room temperature). Keep them there for a
minute or so, making sure all parts are coated with the syrup, and then take them out
and put them in another colander set over a bowl, to let the extra syrup drain (which
may be returned to the syrup bowl and re-used).
Arrange the finished pieces on a platter, and garnish them with pistachios. It is best
when enjoyed freshly made.
Nuhūd al-ʿAdhārī
Virgins’ Breasts (Recipe 300)
(Makes 20 pieces)
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via free access674 Appendix
Scrumptious cookies, which seemed to have been quite popular in medieval times, as
they featured in other medieval Arabic cookbooks, with slight variations. The recipe
does not explain how they are shaped exactly. Studding them with raisins is my inter-
pretation of it.
1 cup white all-purpose flour
1 cup finely ground almonds (almond flour may be used)
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
A pinch of salt
½ cup oil (such as canola)
3 tablespoons rosewater
20 raisins
………………………………
Put the dry ingredients (the first six) in a food processor, and pulse once or twice to
mix them.
Add oil slowly through the tube, and pulse a few more times. Add the rosewater, and
pulse several times until the mix clumps together. Add a bit more if needed.
Take a walnut-size piece, roll it by hand into a ball and place it on a lightly oiled
cookie sheet. Slightly moisten your hands with a bit of rosewater while handling the
mix. Repeat with the rest of pieces, leaving a space between them. Press a raisin in
the middle of each piece, and bake them in the middle shelf of a preheated oven
(375 F.) for about 13 minutes (do not let them overbake). Finish the baking in the top
shelf of the oven for the last two minutes.
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