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The opening chapter describes the basic
ingredients and methods, and the recipes that follow
cover everything from soups to meat, breads to fish,
and desserts to drinks. From the Chicken with Onions,
which uses saffron and ginger, to the Meatballs in
Cinnamon-Onion Sauce, the dishes, redolent with
spices, incorporate the exotic flavors of a rich
tradition. Descriptions accompanying the recipes share
cultural details: the Lentil and Garbanzo Bean Soup,
for example, is used by Muslims to break fasts during
Ramadan and by Sephardim to do the same after Yom
Kippur. Also interspersed throughout are letters from
mothers to their daughters recounting special events
and personal reminiscences of Moroccan Sephardic life
in communities and in kitchens. These welcome
additions to the recipes provide charming pictures of
a lifestyle and culture, and make this volume as
enjoyable to read as it is to cook from.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business
Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In the 15th century, the Spanish
Inquisition forced a huge wave of Sephardim to
immigrate. Many settled in North Africa, especially
Morocco. Among other changes, ingredients such as
chili peppers, tomatoes, saffron, and orange flower
water entered the Sephardim kitchen. Today, however,
primarily because of immigration and the demands of
modern life, the Sephardic tradition is disappearing.
With that in mind, Morse, the author of several other
North African cookbooks, and Mamane, whose ancestors
fled to Fez during the Inquisition, determined to
document the Sephardic contributions before it was too
late. Along with recipes such as Passover Fava Bean
Soup and Thursday Evening's Butter Couscous, they
include holiday menus, Mamane's nostalgic
reminiscences of her extended family, and historical
background. Strongly recommended.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. |
