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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_cuisine

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

THE INJERA PANCAKE RECIPE- THE BREAD OF ETHIOPIA. THE CUISINE OF EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA.

THE CUISINE OF EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA.
INJERA  PANCAKE RECIPE- THE BREAD OF ETHIOPIA.

I have done this kind of post before- something from the ancient culinary, like  those of the Romans. Now I will cover on the Africans in an interesting 4 part series.

African cuisine is a generalized term collectively referring to the cuisines of Africa. Africa is the second largest landmass continent on Earth, and is home to hundreds of different cultural and ethnic groups. This diversity is also reflected in the many local culinary traditions in terms of choice of ingredients, style of preparation and cooking techniques.
The continent's many populations: 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 1 OF A FOUR PART SERIES-

PART 1-   CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICAN COOKING
PART 2-   link here  
PART 3-   link here

Central African cooking has remained mostly traditional.

The basic ingredients are plantains and cassava. Fufu- like starchy foods (from fermented cassava roots) are served with grilled meat and sauces. Another favorite is Bambara, a porridge of rice, peanut butter and sugar. Beef and chicken are favorite meat dishes. Game meat preparations containing crocodile, monkey, antelope and warthog are also served occasionally.

East African cooking

The cuisine of East Africa varies on areas. In the inland savannah, the sheep, goat and cattle-rearing traditional people regard their animals, as a store of  wealth, to be sold and are not normally eaten. In some areas, traditional people consume the milk and blood of cattle, but rarely the meat.

Elsewhere, are grains and vegetables. Maize (corn) is the basis of Ugali, the East African version of West Africa's Fufu. Ugali is a starch dish eaten with meats or stews. In Uganda, steamed, green bananas, called matoke provide the starch filler of many meals.

Around 1000 years ago, the Arab settlers on coastal areas of East Africa, brought in Arabic influences, as reflected in the Swahili cuisine – steamed cooked rice with spices in Persian style and pomegranate juice.
Several centuries later, the British and the Indians came and brought
with them their foods, like Indian curries, lentil soups, chapattis and pickles. The Portuguese introduced  roasting and marinating.

Somalia cuisine, mostly halal, varies regionally and consists of an exotic mixture of culinary influences. Due to Somali's rich trade, basmati rice and spices are  popular.

Xalwo or halva is a popular confection, made from sugar, cornstarch, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and ghee. Peanuts may be added to enhance texture and flavor.

After meals, homes are traditionally perfumed using incense. Amazing !!

The best known Ethiopian cuisine consists of various vegetables or meat side dishes and entrées, usually a Wat or thick stew, served atop Injera, a large sourdough flatbread made of teff flour.

RECIPE
INJERA PANCAKE-the bread of Ethiopia

Yield: 5 9-inch pancakes

Combine: 

1 cup BUCKWHEAT PANCAKE MIX

1 cup BISCUIT MIX

1 EGG

Add: 1 Tbs. OIL

1 1/2- 2 cups WATER to obtain an easy pouring consistency.

Bring a 10-inch skillet or a handled griddle pan to medium heat- not too hot please.

Spread 1/2 tsp. oil over the pan with a brush.

Fill a measuring cup (with spout) or a large cream pitcher with batter.

Pour the mixture on the hot pan or griddle in a thin stream starting from the outside and going in circles to the center from left to right. As soon as it bubbles uniformly all over remove from heat. Pancakes should be 9 inches in diameter.

Place the pan in an oven at 325' for about 1 minute until the top is dry but not brown.

Arrange the five pancakes overlapping each other so as to completely cover a fifteen-inch tray, thus forming the Injera  (like a ) "tablecloth."

The Tef batter is saved from an earlier baking and added to the new batter to give it a sourdough quality.

Tef is not available here, combining buckwheat flour mix and biscuit mix, produces the closest substitute. When using buckwheat Injera; the stews should be thick enough so that they do not soak through the pancake.

How a Dinner is Served in Ethiopia

Reading on, I am attracted to the way dinner is served in Ethiopia.

This ancient country, where the Queen of Sheba once ruled, is called The land of thirteen months of sunshine, (the Ethiopian calendar has 12 months of 30 days and an extra month of five days called Pagume) 

The open-air market of Addis Ababa is the largest in all of Africa. It stretches for miles. Everything, from clothing, household wares to foodies. Women sit on the ground with tiny scales to measure spices for the Wat-the stews cooked in every home. Grains, called Tef, in huge bags are ready for the housewives who make Injera--the unleavened bread prepared today as it was a thousand years ago.

A meal in Ethiopia is an experience. When you have dinner in an Ethiopian home or restaurant, you eat the tablecloth!

Provide forks for the uninitiated who may give up before they learn to eat in the traditional way of using hands.

One or two of the guests are seated on a low comfortable divan . A handmade  table, called  “mesab” which has a dome cover, is set before them. The other guests are then seated round the table on stools about eight inches high, covered with monkey fur.

A tall, stunning woman with characteristically high cheekbones and soft skin, dressed in a shama, carries a long-spouted copper pitcher in her right hand, a copper basin in her left hand, and a towel over her left arm.
She pours warm water over the fingers of your right hand, holding the basin to catch the excess, and you wipe your hands on the towel that hangs over her arm.

The mesab is taken out of the room . It is then returned shortly, now covered with the dome. She removes the dome and the table is covered with what looks like a gray cloth overlapping the edge of a huge tray. But it is not a "tablecloth" at all. It is the Injera, the sourdough pancake- the bread of Ethiopia !!!

Food is brought in and apportioned out onto the "tablecloth!"(injera)-  such as lamb wat, chicken wat, cheese, yogurt, herbs.
Also Kitfo- a ground raw beef as dessert.

The entire Injera is covered with wat stews, etc., you tear off a piece about two or three inches square and use this to "roll" the food in-the same way you would roll a huge cigarette.
Then just swoop it up and pop it into your mouth. Your host might "pop" the first little "roll" in your mouth for you.

No other dessert is served. Coffee comes in on a tray in tiny Japanese cups served black with sugar.

Dinner is concluded with hand-washing again and incense is burned.

Some costumes of Ethiopia, modeled by happy japanese..
Look at his afro hairstyle..ha ha .l like these guys
sources- wikipedia and other sources
http://homepage3.nifty.com/mocha-ethiopia-dance/tradituonalcostum.htm  

africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/

frica.upenn.edu/Cookbook/Ethiopia.html#INJERA 

BASIC PANCAKE RECIPE. WORLD PANCAKE RECIPES. TEN GENERAL COOKING TIPS

BASIC PANCAKE RECIPE.  WORLD PANCAKE RECIPES.

TEN GENERAL COOKING TIPS

ALICHIA- ETHIOPIAN PANCAKE


ANY COOKING TIPS CONTRIBUTED BY YOU WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THIS POST. JUST WRITE IT DOWN IN COMMENT BOX.THANK YOU.
SIE GAVE A TIP ON MAYONNAISE IN THE EARLIER MEATBALLS POST
THANK YOU SIE, CONTRIBUTIONS ARE MOST WELCOME TO BE SHARED.

TEN GENERAL COOKING TIPS-

1-How long to deep fry oysters? -  Shortest time possible, basically, as long as it takes for the batter to cook. Oysters will shrink and become tough if cooked too long.

2-What oil do you use to fry shrimp? - Canola oil, or virgin olive oil- seafood is best cooked at high temperatures, so it's best to use oils that can take the heat...

3-How to make beans less gassy? Soak them in water for several hours, and change the water several times during the soaking time

4-How to remove the bitter taste from citrus fruits? - The bitter taste comes from the white flesh between the outer skin and the fruit. Avoid eating that and it will help a lot

5-How long do you steam fresh green beans? -   It takes about 8 min. The color of the bean becomes bright green, it is then cooked "al dente" (crisp tender)

6-How much juice in a lemon? - One lemon yields about 2-3 tablespoons of juice.

CREPES

Are pancakes or for breakfast or dessert?  Breakfast

A crêpe or crepe is a type of very thin pancake, usually made from or buckwheat flour, served with a variety of fillings, from the simple "with sugar" only, to the elaborate "savory fillings"


BELOW, IS A GREAT TIP FROM A FRENCH LADY, MARIE HARMONY ON CREPE .

They all seem delicious, I would like to try every one of them.
In France, in Brittany especially Crepes are very important, they can be eat as a full meal, the flour used is different for savoury and sour crepes. 
In the ones we eat as a dessert I always add 2 drops of orange blossom water, it's delicious.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH MARIE FOR THE ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER TIP...

Now I know what I will cook myself tomorrow - I will be on for a Crepe Party!!
Thanks Wan and enjoy a lovely day! 

7- How to prevent eggplants from browning? -  Add a spoon of milk to a bowl of water and soak the cut eggplants in the water. The eggplants will  retain their color without browning

8-How do you know when to flip a pancake? - When the edges look dry and the top stops bubbling - you only flip it once


9- Types of seasonings? Seasonings include herbs and spices.

1.    Saline seasonings -salt, spice salt, salt peter.

2.   Acid seasonings- plain/ vinegar (sodium acetate), or same aromatized with terragon. verjuice, lemon and orange juices.

3.   Hot seasonings- peppercorns, ground or coarsely chopped pepper, or mignonette pepper, paprika, curry, cayenne pepper and mixed pepper spices.

      4.    Saccharine seasonings- sugar, honey
10- Mayonnaise or salad dressing (Miracle Whip).. Either of these two makes pancakes very fluffy

HOW TO MAKE PANCAKES FROM SCRATCH?
PANCAKE RECIPE

Ingredients: Serves 4 persons

2 cups plain flour

3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp melted butter
½  tsp vanilla
Mix  all dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. Beat egg separately in smaller bowl and mix in milk, butter and vanilla (flavoring). Combine both wet and dry ingredients together in one bowl and stir until well blended. Leave for 10 minutes.


Heat up griddle or frying pan and coat it with butter. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter for each pancake into pan. When top bubbles stopped and the sides are set, turn them over and cook until the pancakes are a light golden brown in color. Butter pan in between batches.

BLUEBERRY PANCAKE

VARIOUS SERVINGS:
Depending on the region, pancakes may be served at any time, with a variety of toppings or fillings including sweets, savory, chocolate chips, fruit, syrup, veggie  or meat.. 
PANCAKE RECIPES  AND VARIETIES

PALACINKY

The Slovakian ‘Palacinky’  pancakes are thin and filled with apricot, plum, lingonberry,  strawberry or apple jam, chocolate sauce or hazel nut spread
In some Scandinavian countries they are served with jam as a dessert with a variety of savory filling   s. 
 Potato pancake called ‘raggmunk ‘ contain shredded raw potato, and may contain other vegetables (sometimes the pancake batter is omitted)

A special Swedish pancake is saffron pancake  made with saffron and rice, baked in the oven.


In Finland pancakes are usually eaten as dessert with whipped cream and/or pancake-jam, sugar or vanilla ice-cream.

An Austrian dessert, “keiserschmarrn” is a light, caramelized pancake that is split into pieces, filled with fruits and/or nuts, sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with a fruit sauce

Dosa, appam, neer dosa and uttapam could be said to be other Indian pancakes. They are prepared by fermenting rice batter and split skinned urad beans(black lentils) blended with water.
The Punjabis "meetha pooda" are a common breakfast food item in the Punjab. It is a sweet pancake which can be eaten with pickles and chutney.

In Hungary, pancakes called "palacsinta", made from flour, milk or soda water, sugar and eggs. Sweet wine is added to the batter. The filling is usually jam, sugar and ground walnuts or poppy seeds, sugared cottage cheese, sugared cocoa or cinnamon powder,  but – especially in “hortobagyi palacsinta”, – meat and mushroom fillings are also used. 
“Gundel palacsinta” is a Hungarian pancake, stuffed with walnuts, zest, raisins and rum, served in chocolate sauce. The  dish is often flambéed. Hungarian pancakes are served as a main dish or as a dessert.

NALESNIKI

In Poland, thin crêpe-style pancakes are called “naleśniki “ (pronounced naleshniki) , they can be served with a variety of savory or sweet fillings as a main dish or a dessert. Sweet fillings include fresh fruits, jams, and soft white cheese with sugar. 
Savory fillings include fried vegetables, fried chicken, minced meat, add a variety of ingredients such as potatoes, mushrooms, cabbage- 
They were then adopted in Russian and Ukaraine  cuisines, which call them nalesniki also.

APAM BALIK

Here in Malaysia, we have apam balik or terang bulan. It is a rich pancake-like dessert, filled with liberal amounts of butter or magarine, and sprinkled with sugar, coarse nut and  corn in syrup.
The ancient Greeks make their pancake using spelt flour, topped with honey, sesame and cheese or
another variety using wheat flour, olive oil, curdled milk and honey.


MY GREAT BLOGGER FRIEND PRATHIBAA SAID


Hi Ms Wan, this is such a great informative post on pancakes. I didn't know such a simple looking pancake can have this much varieties :)
I prefer making oatwheat flour-meal pancakes with sliced bananas and a tbsp of honey or brown sugar, a very healthier breakfast option over flour pancakes. My kids love them, they never got to know there is oats in it.. 
Thank you very much Prathiba for your contribution.. have a nice day


ANOTHER GREAT BLOGGER FRIEND DR JEHANNE SAID:

Hello wan, I really enjoyed reading through this versatile post, with a lot of anecdotes and varieties of pancakes done internationally..amazing u managed to compile so much on the topic..we love pancakes for breakfast, and I particularly lurve crepes with lots and lots of chocolate and peanut butter..yum! 

Thank you very much Dr Jehanne for your tips. have a great day .

MALAY- KADAZAN GIRL IN HER 2  COMMENTS SAID:

First comment- i think " lempeng"  should be included as pancake

Second comment-I am happy that Katrina also feels lempeng should be also included. If I am not mistaken in Sabah apam balik is more known as apam manis.

Many thanks Malay-kadazan girl.  for your opinion and i agree with you on this. 

MY LONG TIME FRIEND KATRINA 
OF " WOMAN724"  SAID:
I feel our " lempeng" shld be included as it is normally served for breakfast? Especially  those with mashed bananas and a little of coconut (grated) in it, and have them heated on banana leaves.. 
Banana gives its natural sweetness, coconut the creamy taste and with the banana leaves... simply sedap!
I don't know the resepi, late mum in law's favourite breakfast special - shld have learnt from her.
Thank you very much Katrina for your great suggestion and tip.

MY GREAT BLOGGER FRIEND, SUTAPA SAID

Very useful tips and love to know all about pan cakes.I live in West Bengal a state of India where we make a pancake with flour, rice flour semolina mixed with milk and filled with coconut and jaggery called patishapta. This sweet pancakes also taste awesome! 

Many thanks to you Sutapa for the great tips- semolina and rice flour.


ANOTHER GREAT BLOGGER FRIEND, KRISTEN SAID:

I love pancakes. I just found a great gluten free recipe that uses sorghum flour instead of wheat. It had sour cream and raisins in it for a great taste and texture.

Thank you Kristen for this great tip- healthy and new ingredients too.

Only now i discovered that pancake is such a versatile food, just like the meatballs. They are appreciated all over the world, in very many fillings and  cooking varieties.. Which pancake would you like to try?.