A
tagine or
tajine ' onMouseout='HidePop("45501")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Arabic_language">Arabic
Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
: طاجين, ) is a type of dish found in the
North African cuisineNorth African cuisine is primarily a mixture of Arabic and Mediterranean cuisine. It also shares characteristics with Turkish cuisine, particularly in the Eastern part which was more influenced by the Ottoman empire....
s of
AlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country on the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area.It is bordered by Tunisia in...
,
MoroccoMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
, and
TunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian Republic , is a country located in North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast. Tunisia is located southwest of the island of Sicily and south of Sardinia. Its size is almost 165,000 km² with an estimated population of just...
, which is named after the special pot in which it is cooked. A similar dish, known as Tavvas, is found in the
cuisine of CyprusCypriot cuisine is the cuisine encountered on the island of Cyprus, located in the eastern Mediterranean. Cypriot cuisine is shaped by the island's Mediterranean climate, geography, and history. Reflecting the two dominant populations, Cypriot cuisine has evolved as a fusion of Greek and Turkish...
. The traditional tagine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts; a base unit which is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving.
Recently, European manufacturers have created tagines with heavy cast iron bottoms that can be fired on a stovetop at high heat. This permits browning meat and vegetables before cooking. While the similar
Dutch ovenA Dutch oven is a thick-walled iron cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. It is commonly referred to as a 'camp oven' in the Australian bush, cocotte in French, as a 'casserole dish' in British English, and is similar to both the Japanese tetsunabe and the Sač , a traditional Balkan cast-iron...
and
Sač- Sac :* Sac , North American tribe* Sac language, a.k.a. Fox languageAnatomical enclosures:* Reproductive structures:** Gestational sac** Yolk sac** Amniotic sac** Viscid sac** Chorionic sac, a.k.a. chorion...
(a cast iron pot with a tight cover) braises most efficiently in the oven, the tagine braises best on the stovetop.
Moroccan Tagine
Tagines in Moroccan cuisine are slow-cooked stews
braisedBraising , is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavour...
at low temperatures, resulting in tender meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce. They are traditionally cooked in the tagine pot, whose cover has a knob-like handle at its top to facilitate removal. While
simmeringSimmering is a cooking technique in which foods are cooked in hot liquids kept at or just barely below the boiling point of water , 100°C and higher than poaching. To keep a pot simmering, one brings it to a boil and then adjusts the heat downward until just before the formation of steam bubbles...
, the cover can be lifted off without the aid of a mitten, enabling the cook to inspect the main ingredients, add vegetables, move things around, or add additional
braisingBraising , is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavour...
liquid.
Most tagines involve slow simmering of less-expensive meats. For example, the ideal cuts of lamb are the neck, shoulder or shank cooked until it is falling off the bone. Very few Moroccan tagines require initial browning; if there is to be browning it is invariably done after the lamb has been simmered and the flesh has become butter-tender and very moist. In order to accomplish this, the cooking liquid must contain some fat, which may be skimmed off later.
Moroccan tagines often combine lamb or chicken with a medley of ingredients or seasonings:
oliveThe Olive is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin, from Lebanon, Syria and the maritime parts of Turkey and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea...
s,
quinceThe Quince , or Cydonia oblonga, is the sole member of the genus Cydonia and native to warm-temperate southwest Asia in the Caucasus region...
s, apples, pears, apricots, raisins, prunes, dates, nuts, with
freshThe lemon is a small evergreen tree originally native to Asia, and is also the name of the tree's oval yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and nonculinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
or
preserved lemonPreserved lemon is a citrus preparation that is technically a pickle, rather than a preserve. Common in North African cuisine, especially Moroccan cuisine, it is also known as "country lemon" or leems. Diced, halved, or perfectly whole lemons are packed in a simple brine made up of a combination of...
s, with or without honey, with or without a complexity of spices. Traditional spices that are used to flavour tajines include ground
cinnamonCinnamon is a small evergreen tree belonging to the family Lauraceae, native to Sri Lanka, or the spice obtained from the tree's bark...
,
saffronSaffron is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus , a species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. A C. sativus flower bears three stigmas, each the distal end of a carpel. Together with their styles—stalks connecting stigmas to their host plant—stigmas are dried and used in cooking...
,
gingerGinger is a tuber which is consumed whole as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale....
,
turmericTurmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20°C and 30°C, and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive...
,
cuminCumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to East India.-Etymology:...
,
paprikaPaprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried fruits of Capsicum annuum . In many European countries, the word paprika also refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to dishes. Paprika can range from sweet to spicy...
,
pepperBlack pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is a small drupe approximately five millimetres in diameter, dark red when fully mature, containing a single...
, as well as the famous spice blend
Ras el hanoutRas el hanout is a popular blend of herbs and spices that is used across the Middle East and North Africa. The name means "head of the shop" in Arabic, and refers to a mixture of the best spices a seller has to offer....
. Some famous tajine dishes are mqualli or mshermel (both are pairings of
chickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other bird...
, olives and citrus fruits, though preparation methods differ), kefta (meatballs in an
eggAn egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of any number of different species, consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo and its nutrient reserves...
and
tomatoThe tomato is a herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family that is typically cultivated for the purpose of harvesting its fruit for human consumption...
sauce), and
mrouziaMrouzia is one of the most important dishes of the Moroccan cuisine. It is a sweeten-salted tajine with sweetened flavours of honey, cinnamon and almonds balanced by spices of the Ras el hanout blend of spices....
(lamb,
raisinRaisins are dried grapes. They are produced in many regions of the world, such as Armenia, the United States, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Macedonia, Mexico, Greece, Syria, Turkey, India, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, China, Afghanistan, Togo, and Jamaica, as well as South Africa and Southern and...
s and
almondThe Almond is a species of tree native to the Middle East. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated nut of this tree...
s).
Other ingredients for a tajine may include any product that braises well:
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
,
quailQuail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds in the pheasant family Phasianidae. New World quails and buttonquails are not closely related but named for their similar appearance and behaviour....
, pigeon,
beefBeef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle . Beef is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of Australia, Europe and America, and is also important in Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia...
, root
vegetableA vegetable is an edible plant or part of a plant. However, the word is not scientific, and its meaning is largely based on culinary and cultural tradition. Therefore the application of the word is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. For example, some people consider mushrooms to be vegetables,...
s,
legumeIn botanical writing legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae , or a fruit of these specific plants. A'legume' fruit is a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces on two sides. A common name for this type of fruit is a pod, although "pod" is also applied to a few...
s, even
amberAmber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since neolithic times. Good quality amber is used for the manufacture of ornamental objects and jewelry...
and
agarwoodAgarwood is a dark resinous heartwood that forms in Aquilaria trees when they become infected with a type of mold...
. Modern recipes in the West include pot roasts, ossobuco, lamb
shanksA meat shank or shin is the portion of meat around the tibia of the animal, the leg bone beneath the knee. Lamb shanks traditionally comprise the proximal part of the tibia - the part of the bone that articulates aganist the femur and patella as the knee.Meat shanks are commonly available for...
and turkey legs. Seasonings can be traditional Moroccan spices, French, Italian or suited to the dish.
Tunisian tagine
What Tunisians refer to as a "tagine" is very different from the more well-known Moroccan dish. Tunisian tagine is more like an Italian
frittataA frittata is a type of Italian omelet, either simple or enriched with additional ingredients, such as meats, cheeses, vegetables and even pasta...
. First, a simple
ragoutThe term ragout refers to a main-dish stew. The basic method of preparation involves slow cooking over a low heat...
is prepared, of meat cut into very small pieces, cooked with onions and various spices, such as a blend of dried
rosebudsRosebuds may refer to:* Adamstown Rosebuds, a football club* Portland Rosebuds, two professional men's ice hockey teams* The Rosebuds, an indie rock band* Victoria Rosebuds, a minor league baseball team...
and ground cinnamon known as
bharatBahārāt is a spice mixture or blend used throughout the Levant, in Lebanese, Syrian, Jordanian, Iraqi, Israeli and Palestinian cuisine. Baharat, in Arabic, means "spices". The name originated in Medieval India, as Bhārat , a Sanskrit name for India, was the source of these spices...
, or a robust combination of ground coriander and caraway seeds; this is called
tabil. Then something starchy is added to thicken the juices - common thickeners include cannellini beans,
chickpeaThe chickpea is an edible legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Chickpeas are high in protein and one of the earliest cultivated vegetables...
s,
breadcrumbBreadcrumbs or bread crumbs are small particles of dry bread, which are used for breading or crumbing foods, topping casseroles, stuffing poultry, thickening stews, and adding inexpensive bulk to meatloaves and similar foods. They are documented in cookbooks as early as 1716...
s or cubed potatoes. When the meat is tender, it is combined with whatever ingredient has been chosen to be the dominant flavoring. Examples include but are not limited to fresh
parsleyParsley is a bright green biennial herb, often used as spice. It is common in Middle Eastern, European, and American cooking...
, dried mint, saffron, sundried tomatoes, cooked vegetables, or even stewed calf's brains. Next, the stew is enriched with cheese and eggs. Finally, this egg & stew is baked in a deep pie dish, either on the stove or in the oven until both top and bottom are crisply cooked and the eggs are just set. When the tajine is ready, it is turned out onto a plate and sliced into squares, accompanied by wedges of lemon. Tunisian tajines can be made with seafood, or as a completely vegetarian dish.
In rural parts of Tunisia, home cooks place a shallow earthenware dish over glowing olive wood, fill it, cover it with a flat earthen pan, and then pile hot coals on top. The resulting tagine is crusty on top and bottom, moist within, and is infused with a subtle smoky fragrance.
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