Friday, May 18, 2012

PEASANT PANCAKES RECIPE. THE VIBRATIONS OF MOROCCO. NORTH AFRICAN COOKING.

THE VIBRATIONS OF MOROCCO

PEASANT PANCAKES RECIPE

NORTH AFRICAN COOKING
MARRAKECH SPICES
African cuisine is a generalized term collectively referring to the cuisines of Africa. The African continent being the second largest landmass on Earth, is home to hundreds of different cultural and ethnic groups. 
The culinary traditions in terms of choice of ingredients, style of preparation and cooking techniques are also diversified.

The continent's population in: Central Africa, East, North and South and the Horn of Africa each have their own distinctive dishes, eating and drinking habits.

THIS POST IS PART 2 OF A FOUR PART SERIES- First post was on Central Africa.    link here
PART 3-   link here

PART2- NORTH AFRICAN COOKING

North Africa, along the Mediterranean sea, with several nations, including Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Mauritiana and Egypt. This is a region marked by geographical, political, social,  economic and cultural diversity. The cuisine, the culinary style and art of North Africa are also as diverse as the land, its people and its history. The roots to North African cuisine can be traced back over 2000 years.

Over several centuries, many have influenced the cuisine of North Africa. The Phoenicians of the 1st century brought sausages, the Carthaginians introduced wheat and semolina. The Berbers, adapted this into Couscous, one of the main staple diet. 
Olive oil and olives were before the arrival of the Romans. The Arabs introduced spices. The Ottoman Turks brought sweet pastries and other bakery products, and from the New World, North Africa got potatoes, tomatoes , zucchini and chilies.

Most North African countries have several similar dishes, sometimes with a different name (the Moroccan Tangia and the Tunisian Coucha are essentially the same dish: a meat stew prepared in an urn and cooked overnight in a public oven).

Two completely different dishes may  share the same name (for example, a "Tajine" dish is a slow-cooked stew in Morocco, whereas the Tunisian "Tajine" is a baked omelet/ quiche -like dish).

There are noticeable differences between the cooking styles of different nations – there's the sophisticated, full-bodied flavors of Moroccan palace cookery, the fiery dishes of Tunisian cuisine, and the humbler, simpler cuisines of Egypt and Algeria.
MOROCCAN COFFEE OR HALF- HALF
THE FEEL OF MOROCCO.

Morocco is one country which I would very much like to visit, especially Marrakech and Casablanca, simply for its world class exotic culinary and its awesome Moorish architecture.

The scents of coriander, cumin, saffron, marjoram, and onion mingle with the pungency of olive oil and the sweetness of sandalwood, mint and roses, delighting the senses. 


A hostess in Morocco may take a week to prepare a suitable dinner for her honored guests. 

Sweet and peppery …….  Soft and violent.

The meal often consists of as many as fifty courses. For example, It would take a full day just to make Bstilla- a crisp pastry, rolled as thin as tissue paper, filled with chicken in a mixture of "sweet and peppery, soft and violent."

As in most Arab lands, every Moroccan household makes its own bread from semolina flour. When the bread has been properly shaped, each family puts its own mark on it, before sending it to a common bakery oven.
PASTRIES IN MOROCCO
How a dinner is served in Morocco.
Lay the table-
A  low table with brocaded  table cloth is used for dining and  cushions are placed on the floor for seating. So, be comfortably dressed.  Guests  are provided with thick towels to cover their knees. 
Before serving the dinner, the host rep, will walk around the table with an attractive pitcher (possibly silver) filled with perfumed scented warm water. 
He has a Turkish towel over his left arm and a small basin in his left hand. He pours a little water over the fingers of each guest, catching the water in the small basin.
Serve the food-
Tiny kebabs are served first on small plates and removed once eaten. The Couscous is served in a large platter, placed at center table with side plates for guests to serve themselves.
The dinner starts with Bstilla, followed by kebab flavored with bits of beef or lamb fat. Next comes the Tajine, chicken or meat in a spicy stew which has been simmered for many hours, and it is served with a flat bread called Khubz.
Next, a Batinjaan- eggplant salad or chopped tomato salad- is served as a separate course. Then comes Couscous, that marvelous Moroccan national dish made of semolina, cooked to perfection, each grain well separated from each other.
Slices of melon or cantaloupe comes after the Couscous. Mint tea may be served at this time, or later, together with pastries of almond and honey, like the Middle Eastern Baklava. This dinner is a much simplified version.

In the end, the hostess pours water over the fingers of her guests. This is a mark of graciousness and hospitality. At the end of the meal, a tiny incense burner is lit up and put on the table.
RECIPE
PEASANT PANCAKES

In a 1-pint bowl: (yields 8 pieces)
Cut 4 BANANAS  into 1/2 inch slices.
Add 1/2 cup APRICOT LIQUEUR and marinate for 1/2 hour.
In a 1-quart bowl:
Place 1 cup PANCAKE MIX.
Drain the liquid from the above bananas  and add this liquid  to the batter mix and stir following package directions.
In a 9-inch skillet:

Heat 1/4 inch COOKING OIL.
Drop the mixture by tablespoonfuls (2 or 3 pieces of banana in each spoon) into the hot fat until golden brown on both sides.

TO PREPARE BREAD CRUMB MIXTURE.
Mix: 1/2 cup SOFT BREAD CRUMBS made by grating fresh bread
3 Tbs. MELTED BUTTER
4 Tbs. SUGAR
1 tsp. GROUND GINGER.

SERVING
Place 3 or 4 PEASANT PANCAKES on dessert plates.
Sprinkle 1 to 2 Tbs. CRUMB MIXTURE over the pancakes.

http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Pancake
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/Morocco.html        an other sources 
ALGERIA- Snow clad, Chelia Sommet, 'Shelia' Aures, KHENCHELA  
and desert Mt Tahat, Hoggar.


Shells from Mauritiana 
(Mautitius)
Port Said, Gulf Of Tunis,Tunisia


43 comments:

  1. Great tour to morocco,soft pancakes too!!
    Happy Weekend too,Wan!

    Join me(Erivum Puliyum)
    in the following ongoing events-
    Show me Your HITS -Iron Rich Foods
    EP Series-Ginger or Pepper Corns

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi julie, wish i am in morocco now. have a nice day

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  2. Well written article that gives a good insight into Moroccan cuisine :) We keep passing by a Moroccan restaurant nearby and always see it crowded with people from different countries. Gotta try it sometime...

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    Replies
    1. hi rosh..i never miss if i see one having moroccan foodies. one of my favorites. have a nice day

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  3. I love Moroccan all the way because of the flavors from the spices. I like the simple pancake recipe you have shared but couscous in not for me because its about rice and more rice for me.

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    1. hi nava, i like the unique ingredient added to the pancake.. i am sure the apricot liquer makes it dramatically more flavorful. have a nice day

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  4. Hi Wan, wow! Talk about exotic foods and countries. I sure would love visit these countries one of these days, and try out the exotic foods.
    I love 'the feel of Morocco'...at least now we know the protocol involved, ha ha.
    Just looking at your beautiful pics I can practically get the beautiful, exotic scents of the various spices.

    We too have these restaurants here, complete with belly dancing, but nothing like being in that country.
    And Wan, thru your this very enlightening posting, you have teleported or beam me there.
    Thank you.
    Keep a song in your heart, and have a pleasant weekend.
    Love your sidebar creations. Impressive. Outstanding!
    Lee.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi lee- food indulgence in morocco..
      The scents of coriander, cumin, saffron, marjoram, and onion mingle with the pungency of olive oil and the sweetness of sandalwood, mint and roses, delighting the senses.
      have a nice day.

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  5. Hi Wan!:) Happy Sunday!:) This is another healthy post, not just for the body because of the food and great recipes, but also for the mind,:)It gives us here knowledge about Morocco cuisines,.:)

    I love reading and learning from you my dear friend, thanks a lot for sharing us beneficial post,:) More hug and kisses!:) Keep sharing, keep smiling..:)

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    Replies
    1. hi linda, let's go to morocco... indulge ourselves in the food, feast our eyes on the authentic cuisines and the moorish architecture as well.. my heart and soul is in morocco now- in the sahara
      have a nice day

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    2. Hi Wan!:) Muaaaaaahhhhhhhh! I love that idea!! hahaha let's go where your heart and soul is!:) I would love that!:)

      Passing by to greet and hug you my dear and sweet friend..:) God bless you always...:)

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    4. hi linda, yes yesn .. lets go :) :) :) ::::)
      hugs dear

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  6. Lovely pictures.
    Loved reading about Morocco and the cuisine of that place.
    Thanks dear friend for sharing the info.

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    Replies
    1. hi shobha, morocca have many things unique- its a blesssed country.. have a nice day

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  7. Replies
    1. hi cik awi, i like coffe too.. the half-half.. looks so delicious. have a nice day

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  8. informative post
    like the pics

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  9. MmmMmMmmMm! Everything looks delish

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    Replies
    1. hi love2dine..mmmmmmmmmmmmm thank you and have a nice day

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  10. Pancake should taste nice wth the banana and ginger in.
    Taken with a scoop of ice-cream will kick the taste buds..

    TQ for sharing.

    Cheers

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    Replies
    1. hi katrina, ginger tastes really good here, compliments the ice cream too. have a nice day

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  11. great pics with yummm version ..very interesting post
    Tasty Appetite

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  12. Hi Wan! the photos look marvellous. I love the spices photos the most. That peasant pancake sounds great and the mint tea look refreahing too.Interesting post!!!

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    Replies
    1. hi rina, hope you are back in good health. glad you like them all. have a nice day and take care

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  13. What a fascinating post this was. I too love Moroccan food and that Ras el hanout they use. Would love to go there. I hear that in addition to salt and pepper shakers they have a third one on the table filled with cumin. The culture goes way back and you mentioned the influences. Good job.
    Thank You

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    Replies
    1. Hi anthony, thank you for your inspiring comment. morocco is full of exotic food. have a nice day

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  14. I have never been to morocco, but want to visit n know about it... Thanks for sharing....

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    Replies
    1. hi akila, thank you for your visit and have a nice day

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  15. Thanks for posting and educate us about North African cuisine. Beautiful photos too.

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    Replies
    1. hi treat and trick, thanks for being here with your sweet comments and have a nice day

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  16. The pancakes look delicious, lovely pictures! Thank you Wan for such an informative post. Keep up the great work!

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    Replies
    1. hi ambreen, thank you ambreen and have a nice day day..take care dear

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  17. What an interesting post! Would love to visit Morocco.

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    Replies
    1. hi asmita, lets go to morocco..and the sahara..wow!
      have a nice day

      Delete
  18. This is very interesting as always Wan, you always take me away with your posts, new discoveries and recipes. Morocco is a favorite, I love the country, the culture, the food.

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  19. hei its wonderful to see morrocan foods

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  20. hei its wonderful to see morrocan foods and culture

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  21. hei its wonderful to see morrocan foods and culture

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  22. ?hi

    realy i loved Moroccan food especially the berebere pizza in rissani , we been in south of morocco , and hour tour guide hassan from sahara-magic.com invited us for pizza berbere , really it very nice
    i recommand everyone go to rissan try the berbere pizza .

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  23. Great looking pancakes. I always love to try foods from around the world and the photos here are lovely. I recently found a Bulgarian sausage recipe so I decided to have a go. I was surprised to see how easy it was. They turned out great and I'm ready now to make my second batch, but maybe this pancake recipe will be first, :)

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