Seffa
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Seffa
''Seffa'' () is a Maghrebi term for a dish of sweetened semolina cuscus with butter, cinnamon, and almonds. The dish may incorporate meat, and also alternatively be made with vermicelli or rice. This dish is generally consumed at the end of a meal, before dessert. It is often served at traditional marriage ceremonies and family gatherings. ''Seffa'' can also be served with chicken () or with raisins (). According to Emily Gottreich, the version of ''seffa'' involving a mixture of butter with chicken, or other meat, is a "distinctively Moroccan dish" traditionally only found in Muslim homes owing to the Jewish dietary prohibition on the mixing of meat and dairy in a single meal. However, ''seffa'' in its simpler form, flavoured with just sugar and cinnamon, is prepared by Moroccan Jewish communities on the night of the Mimouna. This dish is also known by the French: ''Couscous Sucré et Sec'' (sweet and dry couscous). There are also sweetened cuscus dishes besides ''seffa'', su ...
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Couscous
Couscous ( '; ber, ⵙⴽⵙⵓ, translit=Seksu) – sometimes called kusksi or kseksu – is a Maghrebi dish of small steamed granules of rolled durum wheat semolina that is often served with a stew spooned on top. Pearl millet, sorghum, bulgur, and other cereals are sometimes cooked in a similar way in other regions, and the resulting dishes are also sometimes called couscous. Couscous is a staple food throughout the Maghrebi cuisines of Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, and Libya. It was integrated into French and European cuisine at the beginning of the twentieth century, through the French colonial empire and the Pieds-Noirs of Algeria. In 2020, couscous was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Etymology The word ''couscous'' (alternately ''cuscus'' or ''kuskus'') was first noted in early 17th century French, from Arabic kuskus, from kaskasa ‘to pound’, and is probably of Berber origin. The exact formation of the word presents some obscuri ...
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Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, Libya, Mauritania (also considered part of West Africa), Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb also includes the disputed territory of Western Sahara (controlled mostly by Morocco and partly by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) and the Spanish cities Ceuta and Melilla.Article 143. As of 2018, the region had a population of over 100 million people. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, English sources often referred to the region as the Barbary Coast or the Barbary States, a term derived from the demonym of the Berbers. Sometimes, the region is referred to as the Land of the Atlas, referring to the Atlas Mountains, which are located within it. The Maghreb is usually defined as encompassing much of the northern part of Africa, inclu ...
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Semolina
Semolina is coarsely milled durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or corn) as well. Etymology Semolina is derived from the Italian word , 1790–1800; alteration of Italian ', equivalent to ''semol(a'') "bran" () + ''-ino'' diminutive suffix. In the Lithuanian language ' means something that is milled, ' means "flour" and ' means "to mill", while semolina in Lithuanian language is '. The words ''simila, semidalis, groat,'' and ''grain'' may all have similar proto-Indo-European origins as two Sanskrit terms for wheat, ''samita'' and ''godhuma'', or may be loan words from the Semitic root ''smd'' "to grind into groats" (''cf.'' ar, سميد '). Production Modern milling of wheat into flour is a process that employs grooved steel rollers. The rollers are adjusted so that the space between them is slightly narrower than t ...
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Vermicelli
Vermicelli (; , , also , ) is a traditional type of pasta round in section similar to spaghetti. In English-speaking regions it is usually thinner than spaghetti, while in Italy it is typically thicker. The term ''vermicelli'' is also used to describe various types of thin noodles from Asia. In Vietnam vermicelli is the same as angel hair pasta or '' capellini''. Thickness comparison As defined in Italy: In the United States, the National Pasta Association (which has no links with its Italian counterpart, the Unione Industriali Pastai Italiani) lists vermicelli as a thinner type of spaghetti. The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America defines "spaghetti" and "vermicelli" by diameter: History In 14th-century Italy, long pasta shapes had varying local names. Barnabas de Reatinis of Reggio notes in his ''Compendium de naturis et proprietatibus alimentorum'' (1338) that the Tuscan ''vermicelli'' are called ''orati'' in Bologna, ''minutelli'' in Venice ...
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Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticated, although the term may also be used for primitive or uncultivated varieties of '' Oryza''. As a cereal grain, domesticated rice is the most widely consumed staple food for over half of the world's human population,Abstract, "Rice feeds more than half the world's population." especially in Asia and Africa. It is the agricultural commodity with the third-highest worldwide production, after sugarcane and maize. Since sizable portions of sugarcane and maize crops are used for purposes other than human consumption, rice is the most important food crop with regard to human nutrition and caloric intake, providing more than one-fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by humans. There are many varieties of rice and culinary preferences tend ...
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Mesfouf
''Mesfouf'' or ''masfouf'' ( ar, مسفوف) is an Algerian dish which is a variant of couscous with finely rolled semolina and butter or olive oil. This food is quite popular in the Maghreb. It is conventional to consume the ''mesfouf'' during the holy month of Ramadan. It is served at traditional celebrations or family meals. Local recipes In Algeria, it is served as a main dish made of peas and beans. According to them, it is advisable to drink it with some whey or yoghurt to facilitate digestion even though it is lighter than couscous. There are many local recipes for the ''mesfouf'', such as the savory one and the sweet one. Some people opt for the one which contains vegetables and meat. As for the others, they want it accompanied with peas and dried grapes as in the surrounding of Tunis. Sfaxians prefer it decorated with almond and dates and dried fruits (pistachios, hazel nuts) and custard.International Inner Wheel Sfax, ''Nos recettes de tous les jours et jours de fê ...
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Algerian Cuisine
The cuisine of Algeria is influenced by Algeria's interactions and exchanges with other cultures and nations over the centuries. It is characterized by a wealth derived from both land and sea products. Conquests or demographic movement towards the Algerian territory were two of the main factors of exchanges between the different peoples and cultures (Berbers, Arabs, Turks, Andalusians, French, and Spaniards). This cuisine is a Mediterranean and North African cuisine with Berber roots. Algerian cuisine offers a variety of dishes depending on the region and the season, but vegetables and cereals remain at its core. Most of the Algerian dishes are centered around bread, meats (lamb, beef or poultry), olive oil, vegetables, and fresh herbs. Vegetables are often used for salads, soups, tajines, couscous, and sauce-based dishes. Of all the Algerian traditional dishes available, the most famous one is couscous, recognized as a national dish. Ingredients Algeria, like other Maghre ...
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Moroccan Cuisine
Moroccan cuisine () is the cuisine of Morocco, fueled by interactions and exchanges with many cultures and nations over the centuries. Moroccan cuisine is usually a mix of Arab, Berber, Andalusi, and Mediterranean cuisines, with minimal European (French and Spanish) and sub-Saharan influences. Like the rest of the Maghrebi cuisine, Moroccan cuisine has more in common with Middle Eastern cuisine than with the rest of Africa. According to Moroccan chef and cuisine researcher Hossin Houari, the oldest traces of Moroccan cuisine that can still be observed today, go back to the 7th century BC. Ingredients Morocco produces a large range of Mediterranean fruits and vegetables, as well as tropical products like snails. Common meats include beef, goat, mutton and lamb, which, together with chicken and seafood, serve as a base for the cuisine. Characteristic flavorings include lemon pickle, argan oil, preserved butter (smen), olive oil, and dried fruits. The staple grains today ar ...
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Pastries
Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests many kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder, and eggs. Small tarts and other sweet baked products are called pastries as a synecdoche. Common pastry dishes include pies, tarts, quiches, croissants, and pasties. The French word pâtisserie is also used in English (with or without the accent) for the same foods. Originally, the French word referred to anything, such as a meat pie, made in dough (''paste'', later ''pâte'') and not typically a luxurious or sweet product. This meaning still persisted in the nineteenth century, though by then the term more often referred to the sweet and often ornate confections implied today. Pastry can also refer to the pastry doug ...
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