by Gil Marks
As symbols of fertility as well as mortality (life, like a lentil, is round like a wheel), mujaddara is traditionally eaten during the Nine Days before the fast of Tisha b'Av and in a house of mourning. The dish is also popular on many happy occasions, such as Shavout, when it is topped with yogurt and served with huevos haminados (long-cooked eggs). Middle Eastern Jewish housewives, preoccupied with preparations for the Sabbath, commonly served mujaddara as an easy and filling vegetarian Thursday night dinner. In some households, it was also made for Sunday night dinner because exhausted housewives wanted to serve an easy meal—on the day following the Sabbath, it was customary in many Middle Eastern Jewish households to wash clothes, a wearing and time-consuming task involving schlepping everything to a body of water and beating it with rocks. (Saturday was the Arabs' washing day and their day for mujaddara.) For many Middle Eastern Jews, mujaddara is the ultimate comfort food.
Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils (Mujaddara)
5 to 6 servings
[PAREVE or DAIRY]
¼ cup vegetable oil or samneh (Middle Eastern clarified butter), or 2 tablespoons each
2 large onions, halved and sliced
About 3¼ cups water
1½ cups brown or green lentils, picked over, rinsed, soaked in warm water to cover for at least 2 hours or overnight, and drained
1½ cups long-grain rice, such as basmati, soaked in cold water to cover for 20 minutes and drained
About 1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
About ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove half of the onions and let cool. Alternatively, you can remove all the onions and use them all for the topping, or leave all the fried onions in the saucepan to mix into the mujaddara.
2. Add 3 cups water to the saucepan containing the remaining onions and bring to a boil. Add the lentils, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until just tender but still firm, about 20 minutes. Drain the cooking liquid into a measuring cup and add additional water to equal 3 cups, while leaving the lentils in the saucepan.
3. Add the 3 cups liquid, salt, and pepper to the lentils in the saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, return to a boil, and cover. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer, without uncovering, until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Transfer to a serving platter and, if using, dot with the butter or sprinkle with the parsley. Top with the reserved fried onions. Serve warm or at room temperature, accompanied with yogurt and/or pita bread, if desired.
Variation
Indian Lentils And Rice (Khichri/Kitchree):
In Step 1, to the fried onions, add 2 to 3 teaspoons cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon minced fresh small green chilies, and 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger. Sauté for about 2 minutes, then stir in 1 teaspoon ground turmeric and 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick.
Mulberry
Mulberries are small deciduous trees, held in high esteem by most ancient Mediterranean civilizations and prominent in biblical Israel. There are more than a dozen species subsumed under the genus Morus (mulberry), with three standing out from the others: The black variety (Morus nigra) probably originated in Persia and was among the earliest cultivated trees, the white (Morus alba) is probably indigenous to China, and the red mulberry (Morus rubra) is native to the United States.
Today, the mulberry is probably best known for its leaves, which provide food for silkworms, but for millennia the easily cultivated black mulberry was the predominant berry of the Middle East. Mature black mulberry trees reach thirty-two to fifty feet in height and bear clusters of small drupes, called toot in Persian and Hebrew; the trees are capable of bearing fruit for many centuries. The drupes start off as white and dry, but as they mature turn juicy and reddish, then black. Although mulberries resemble fruits from the Rubus genus (blackberries), they are a totally different species more closely related to the fig. The mulberry tree does not have thorns like the bush-growing blackberry and raspberry. Mulberries are much drier and less flavorful than the juicy blackberry. Still, they can be substituted for blackberries.
Black mulberries, actually closer to a dark purple, are flavorful when ripe, with a balance of sweetness and tartness. Mulberries, soft and highly perishable, do not fare well during shipping and storage and, therefore, are rarely available fresh commercially. Historically, the predominant Middle Eastern ways of using mulberries were picking the fruit in season in late spring and boiling them into a thick syrup (sharbet) or jam. Sephardim use the juice to make a version of fruit paste (dulce de moras).
Mushroom
A mushroom is not a vegetable, but a fungus, an organism that feeds directly off of organic material. Mushrooms have fed and mystified humans since time immemorial. The French became the first to commercially cultivate mushrooms in 1650. Today, there is a widening range of cultivated mushrooms, including many of the exotic species. The most common cultivated mushroom, accounting for nearly 40 percent of these fungi grown worldwide, is the button mushroom, which is picked when still quite young. Before World War II, brown buttons were the most prevalent cultivated mushrooms, but white buttons later supplanted them in the United States.
In ancient Israel, mushrooms, especially those belonging to the genus Boletus, were gathered by the masses, particularly after a major rainfall. Ever since, mushrooms have been an important part of most Jewish cuisines. Many areas in Israel are abundant with mushrooms, which the Talmud noted are exempt from tithes "because they do not grow by being sown nor does the earth extrude them." The Talmud also mentions a predilection of certain Babylonian rabbis for mushrooms, which they enjoyed for dessert at the Passover Seder.
In certain parts of North Africa and the Middle East, mushrooms are sautéed to make salads and added to omelets, rice dishes, and vegetable stews. Turks and Greeks feature sautéed mushroom salads and pickled mushrooms in mezzes (appetizer assortments). Georgians serve them in walnut and sour cream sauces. However, mushrooms (shveml in Yiddish) were particularly important in Ashkenazic cookery—they were among the few flavoring agents available to the poor in eastern Europe and could be picked free from the fields and dried (getrukente) for future use. Many Jews from Poland would only eat a single variety of mushroom, considering the rest unkosher or unhealthy. Ashkenazim sautéed mushrooms with onions, pickled them, stuffed them, and added them to soups, stews, kasha dishes, and pasta and pastry fillings. Romanians served them with mamaliga.
The standard mushroom of Europe is the boletus, called borowik in Poland, steinpilz (stone mushroom) in German, cèpes ("trunk," referring to the stubby stem) in French, and porcini (piglet) in Italian. This brown mushroom is shaped similarly to button mushrooms, but has a round cap and a fat stem that flares at the base. Rather than gills, the boletus has a pale spongy underlayer consisting of tiny tubes and pores. The size ranges from tiny to up to more than five pounds. When cooked, they have a silky texture and a rich, beefy, winy flavor with a hint of nuts. Drying intensifies the flavor. Due to the widespread substitution of button mushrooms for Boletus, many contemporary dishes fail to taste like those that grandmother prepared.
Mustard
Maimonides recommends, "In summer, one should eat cooling foods without excessive amounts of spices, and one should also eat vinegar. In the winter, one should eat warming foods with lots of spices, and small quantities of mustard and asafetida as well."
Early in history, mustard plants spread throughout much of Asia, Africa, and Europe, where they were valued for their medicinal properties, as well as in cooking. Mustard is a relative of cabbage, watercress, and turnip—all contain a volatile oil with a peppery flavor. Young and tender mustard leaves, similar in taste to cress, can be added to salads. More mature, sharper g
reens are cooked. The main value of the plant lies in its tiny seeds, which contain valuable enzymes and volatile oils.
There are three major species of mustard, each possessing its own characteristics: white, black, and brown. White mustard seed (actually yellowish brown in color), a native of the Middle East, is the largest and mildest. Black, from somewhere around the southern or eastern Mediterranean, is the smallest, yet most pungent. Brown, also called Indian or Oriental, a hybrid, is smaller but more pungent than white varieties and is the most aromatic. Today, most mustards are made chiefly from a mixture of brown and white seeds, with mustard manufacturers combining various types to produce desired qualities and flavors.
Mustard, the most processed of all spices, is available whole, powdered (dry), as oil, or prepared. Whole brown mustard seeds are common in curries and other Indian dishes; the seeds are typically fried in oil until they pop. They are also widely used in European pickles and marinades. However, in order for the oil in the mustard seed to release its distinctive pungency, it must be ground and mixed with a liquid—such as cold water, wine, beer, or vinegar—to activate an enzyme. The ancient Romans used must (unfermented grape juice), which imparted a fruity sweetness and also gave mustum ardens (burning must) its English name, mustard.
Black mustard (chardal in Hebrew) was used by the ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans, although the first record of using prepared mustard was by the Romans. This spice is not mentioned in the Bible, but is common in the Talmud, including references to the use of both its leaves and seeds. The Midrash, in establishing Abraham's hospitality toward his three visitors, notes that he fed them tongue with mustard. The Talmud employs mustard seeds to represent the smallest measure of size. After the fall of Rome, prepared mustard disappeared from Europe and subsequently the seeds were crushed on dinner plates. By the thirteenth century, the practice of using prepared mustard had begun to revive, particularly in France and Germany.
The mustard plant thrives in most climates and soils and requires very little tending and, therefore, was generally available and affordable. The plant was important in crop rotation, substantially enhancing the yield of wheat and barley. Consequently, during the medieval period, pepper imported from India was the spice of royalty, while mustard served as the spice of the common man. As peppercorns became more widely available and less expensive in the early 1700s, mustard experienced a decline in popularity in Europe. Nevertheless, the small, potent seed of the mustard plant remains among the world's most popular spices.
Among Ashkenazim in particular, mustard (zeneft in Yiddish, primarily black mustard, shvatzser zeneft) was an important condiment long before its ubiquitous presence in Jewish delis. Mustard, commonly served daily if not at every meal, not only provided much needed flavor, but also helped to lubricate dry foods for easier consumption. Ashkenazim subsumed mustard with many other seeds under the category of kitniyot and prohibited it on Passover. There is now artificial mustard for Passover, but it is best avoided.
N
Naan
Naan is the Farsi word for bread.
Origin: Persia
Other names: nân, non.
Among the culinary innovations of the Persians nearly two millenia ago was a revolutionary cylindrical clay tanur (oven). This vertical clay structure capable of heating up to 900°F was frequently mentioned in the Talmud. Previously, bread had been typically cooked on the outer wall of a jar oven, on griddles, or on a concave clay-lined pit oven heated with embers necessitating very thin loaves. With the new Persian oven, food was cooked on the inner wall above the fuel; both sides were exposed to heat, allowing for thicker flatbreads, and the coals below imparted to the food a characteristic smoky flavor. To bake bread, cooks heated the tanur to a medium-hot temperature (around 475°F). Using a protective pad or mitt, they slapped thin rounds of dough against the inner walls, producing incredibly flavorful flatbreads that cooked in a matter of minutes. The first record of the term naan for flatbread— possibly from the Old Persian nagna, "naked," distinguishing the newer loaves baked on the inner oven walls from the original loaves cooked covered in the ashes of a fire—was during the early Sassanid Empire (224 to 651 CE), a successor to the old Persian Empire. The Arab part of the Islamic world to the west generally adopted the Arabic word for bread, khubz.
During the medieval period Persians spread their tanur and the Farsi word for bread, naan, throughout central Asia. By the thirteenth century, the Moguls had brought these inventions to medieval India, where the oven become the tandoor and the bread became the Indian form of naan.
There are four predominant types of traditional Persian naan, all flatbreads: sangak, barbari, lavash, and taftoon. The most popular bread in Iran is naan-e sangak (from the Farsi sang, "small stone"), a large, thin, pliable, rectangular loaf about two feet long and one foot wide, capable of feeding an entire family. Naan-e sangak is baked over heated river gravel, which gives the bread its traditional name, shape, and flavor. For generations this was the standard bread of the Persian army; each soldier carried a bag of flour and a small bag of pebbles, which could be heated alone or merged with those of other soldiers, on which to cook his dough.
Originally a barley bread, naan-e sangak is now customarily made with three parts whole-wheat flour to one part white flour, yielding a chewy texture and nutty flavor. The bread is still baked on top of tiny stones, but they are arranged in large ovens fueled with wood or coal. When the bread is done, the pebbles are shaken off, leaving their imprint in the bottom, and the mottled loaves are hung on a stick or nail to await purchase. Occasionally, an errant pebble remains stuck in the loaf, resulting in a burnt lip or broken molar. To serve, sangak is commonly cut into strips with scissors.
Naan-e barbari (bread of the Barbars) is named after a people from Afghanistan who introduced the recipe to Tehran around the eighteenth century. Made from white flour, it is thicker than sangak with a crisp outside and soft interior; the texture is similar to that of focaccia. Naan-e barbari is baked on the floor of a stone or brick oven, which imparts a characteristic charcoal flavor. Barbari with goat cheese and fresh herbs is breakfast for many Iranians.
Naan-e lavash, baked in a wide, flat shape, is the thinnest and among the most ancient of Persian breads. When fresh and hot, it is soft and pliable; after cooling, lavash becomes hard and brittle.
Naan-e taftoon (a taftoon is a variation of the tanur), second in popularity to sangak, are basic large round flatbreads—akin to the Arabic khubz adi, Turkish pida, and Indian naan—and are considered lunch bread in Iran. Taftoon are made from white flour or part whole-wheat flour and are cooked on the inner walls of a vertical clay oven. Authentic naan-e taftoon are medium soft-textured rounds or ovals with a golden bottom crust and a rippled, spotted upper surface. Komaj is a slightly thicker Turkish-style version. The naan dough is also formed into thin rectangles about two feet long and one foot wide and baked on the inner oven walls.
Bread is the staple of the Iranian diet. The term for hospitality is naan u namak, meaning "bread and salt." Iranians rarely bake bread at home, as it is subsidized by the government and readily available at small local bakeries (naanvayi), each specializing in one of the four types of bread. Most bakers (naan-paz) still use the old-fashioned clay ovens, but some modern versions of the tanur feature an electric metal oven with an inner clay pot for baking.
Persian bread is traditionally leavened with a starter dough and not yeast, contributing a mild tang, and is available plain or sprinkled with sesame, poppy, or nigella seeds. Most Middle Eastern bread is lean, without milk or oil, but occasionally these ingredients are used in some loaves; bread made with milk is called naan-e shirmal and with sugar naan shirin. The lean bread stales quickly, so it's purchased daily and in many households, shortly before each meal. The hot loaves are commonly wrapped in newspaper for transport. Often, the majority of a loaf is consumed on the way home from the bakery, necessitating the purchase of at least two.
A simple meal
typically includes a single type of bread, while a formal affair may offer several kinds. Traditionally, Persians used either taftoon or sangak for their Sabbath and festival bread. Many Persian expatriates in Israel and America contend that they have not tasted real bread since leaving their birthplace.
(See also Bread, Lavash, Nan, and Non)
Naa-Naa
Naa-naa is brewed green tea with mint.
Origin: Morocco
Other names: atay b'naa-naa.
In the 1850s during the Crimean War, a British merchant, unable to sell his wares of Chinese gunpowder green tea in the Baltic region, stumbled upon Morocco as an alternative destination. Moroccans, to put it mildly, fell in love with the flavorful leaves, especially in conjunction with mint. Sweetened atay b'naa-naa (Arabic for "tea with mint") or simply naa-naa quickly became the national drink, a sign of friendship and hospitality. Chinese gunpowder tea (the leaves are rolled into small pellets to retain flavor during shipping) is the favored form of green tea. Some pour a little extra boiling water over the tea for about ten seconds, then strain out the water to wash the leaves and remove any bitterness. Spearmint, noted for its mellow characteristics, is the preferred variety of herb, but in any case the leaves must always be fresh. Many Moroccans are adamant that the stems be removed, insisting that they make the tea bitter.
The amount of tea and mint varies from person to person and place to place. In the north of the country, the tea tends to be mild and highly sweetened. As one travels south, the tea gets stronger and less sugar is used. Some add a touch of orange-blossom water, lemongrass, or saffron.
Tea making and drinking has become a social ritual in Morocco. Almost every Moroccan family, regardless of its status, has some sort of tea set. It is a rite typically performed by males. Every host and businessman offers his guests mint tea, which is always prepared in front of the guests. It is considered a great offense not to accept. Naa-naa is usually served in small, dainty crystal glasses arranged on a sinya (three-legged brass tray). The ingredients—tea, mint, and sugar—are set on a separate smaller tray. The tea is prepared in special metal pots, made from brass, tin, stainless steel, or silver, which have a long, slender curved spout. The tea is customarily poured one to four feet above the glasses; the aeration is said to improve the flavor and allow the host to demonstrate his flair. The glasses, many with elegant designs, are generally filled about halfway so the top can be held without burning one's hands. It is understood that the glass will be refilled at least several more times.
