Middle East and West Africa
6 short explainers. Read them in order, or jump to the question you have right now.
- 133Sumac and za'atar: sour without liquidSumac is dried, ground berries from a shrub, deep red and tart from the fruit acids. It sours food without adding liquid, so it won't thin a dip or soften…
- 134Preserved lemon: use the rindLemons get packed in salt and forgotten for weeks. Salt pulls out their juice, the juice turns into brine, and the rind goes tender, mellow and much less…
- 135Tagine: the cone lid returns steamA tagine is a shallow dish with a tall cone lid. Food simmers gently, steam rises into the cone, condenses on the cooler walls and drips back down. The pot…
- 136Jollof: fry the base until thickJollof starts with a blended base of tomato, red pepper, onion and chile. Fried in oil, the water cooks off, the flavor concentrates and the paste darkens.…
- 137Peanut stew: rich, not heavyGround peanuts or peanut butter thicken a stew with fine particles of protein and fiber, plus peanut oil, spread through the broth. No flour needed.
- 138Harissa: chile and spice pasteHarissa is chile blended with garlic, cumin, coriander, caraway, salt and olive oil. The oil pulls fat-soluble color and flavor out of the chiles and…
