The Recipes of North Africa

As a region, North Africa is an amalgam of native populations (Berber, Egyptian etc) with a strong Arab influence and subsequent European influences and the foods of the region reflect this amalgam of cultures. You will get traditional tagines and fish dishes sitting alongside pasta dishes. Indeed, pasta (in the form of couscous) is a notable element of North African cuisine. As is the use of fruit in conjunction with meat as a main dish. Another element of this cuisine is the use of beans (especially broad [fava] beans) and chickpeas in stews and as main meals in and of themselves.


Here I present two classic dishes from two different North African countries. The first recipe is for a classic Egyptian stew made with broad (fava) beans:

Ful Nabed

Ingredients:

180g onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, mashed

60ml olive oil

1 tbsp ground cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 bayleaves

1 large carrot, washed and chopped

200g chopped fresh tomatoes

850ml vegetable stock

400g canned or cooked broad (fava) beans

40g chopped fresh parsley

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

fresh mint leaves to garnish
Method:

In a large pot, fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are soft and translucent. At this point add the cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, bayleaves and carrots and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Now stir-in the chopped tomatoes and add the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the carrots are tender (about 15 minutes). At the very end add the broad beans, parsley and lemon juice. Cook to heat through, season with salt and black pepper and serve with bowls. Garnish each bowl with mint leaves and serve with pita bread.

This next dish is a classic Libyan Tagine of lamb with chilli-based Harissa paste... The tagine itself is named after the earthenware dish with a conical lid in which it's cooked. The lid acts like a condenser so the dish can be left on the fire to cook slowly without fear of its drying out. You can substitute a casserole dish or Dutch oven, but if you're going to be cooking North African fare often you really need to get a tagine.

Lamb Tagine with Harissa Sauce

Ingredients:

1 boned shoulder of lamb, cubed

1 onion, finely chopped

500g carrots, chopped

4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp powdered ginger

3cm length ginger, grated

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp coriander leaves

12 black olives

1 tbsp Harissa

salt and black pepper to taste
Method:

Put the oil in the base of a tagine, heat and gently fry the lamb until browned then add the onion and fry until translucent. Add the cinnamon, ginger and grated lemon zest and lemon juice. Add sufficient hot water to cover the contents of the tagine and season with salt and black pepper.

Bring to a boil, add the lid and cook for 1 hour before adding the carrots, coriander and the harissa. Cook gently for 45 minutes then add the olives. Serve with rice or couscous.

In two recipes you can't hope to get the real flavour of North Africa, especially in terms of the subtle uses of spices and spice blends. But if these recipes have piqued your interest, I really urge you to learn more.

Robyn Lee is an author for the Celtnet African Recipes site and you can find many more recipes from each and every country in North Africa at the North African Recipes page. If you want to get the largest collection of recipes from Africa ever assembled (800+ recipes from each and every African Country) then she urges you to check out the Recipes of Africa eBook; proceeds from the sale of which go to charity.

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