Tajine of Morocco

Tajine of Morocco

A tajine or tagine (Arabic: الطاجين) is a Maghrebi dish which is named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. It is also called a Maraq / marqa in North Africa and the Middle Eahe concept of cooking in a tajine appears in the famous Alf layla wa layla (A Thousand and One Nights), a collection of 9th century Arab history. It is also mentioned during the time of the Islamic rule of the Abbasid Empire (extending from the Middle East / Asia to North Africa and Andalusia) during the 9th century.  The dish has already been famous among the nomadic Bedouin people of the Arabian Peninsula, who has added dried fruits such as dates, apricots and plums to give it its unique taste.

                              

Today, the pot and its traditional broth are mainly prepared in the Middle East and North Africa. In North Africa, it is called a Tajine, while in the Middle East it is called a "Maraq" (Arabic language: "bouillon") or a "Qidra" (Arabic language: pot). There are different ways to prepare the tajine. In the original qidra style, "saman" (Saudi clarified butter) is used to lubricate the surface and a chopped onion puree is added for flavor and aroma. For "muqawlli" style cooking, the ingredients are placed in olive oil to enrich the flavors.

There are many descriptions of how to prepare a tajine from Arab scholars of the middle ages . A famous description is that of Ibn al-Adim, here translated into English:

Boil the meat and fry with fresh coriander, onions and hot spices and a little garlic. Then choose the fennel hearts and cut in half. Put on the meat. Put some of the broth back with the sheep tail. Boil until cooked through and the broth has been absorbed. Remove (from the heat).

- Ibn al-Adim, Kitab Al Wuslah and Al-Habib wasf al tayyibat wa Al-Tib

Pottery

The traditional tajine pottery, sometimes painted or glazed, consists of two parts: a circular base unit that is flat with low sides and a large cone- or dome-shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. The cover is designed to return all condensation to the bottom. That process can be improved by adding water to the roof.

Tajine is traditionally cooked over hot charcoal leaving an adequate space between the coals and the tajine pot to avoid the temperature rise too quickly. Large bricks of charcoal are used, specifically for their ability to stay hot for hours. Other methods are used in a slow oven or on a gas stove. To be circulated, a circular utensil placed between the tajine and the flame, is used to evenly distribute the stove's heat. European manufacturers have created tagines with heavy cast-iron bottoms that can be heated on a cooking stove to a high temperature, which permits the browning of meat and vegetables before cooking.

Tajine cooking may be replicated by a slow cooker or similar item, but the result will be slightly different. Many ceramic tajines are decorative items. Some tajines, however, are intended to be used as decorative serving dishes.

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