#Mesfouf

[cheghano]

المسفوف كسكس من إبداع Maroc ؟؟؟ le mesfouf un couscous création ...

[darkwoods26]

Tunisian Sweets 2

[lesbiaine]

also ur being unfollowed cuz u said zlabiya was *** good gbhbhbh

[pmentheorange]

j'ai découvert cette petite merveille récemment *-*

Ça s'appelle le Pourpier, c'est une espèce de plantes herbacées qui pousse dans l'ensemble des régions chaudes et tempéréee du globe. Elle est utilisées autant dans l'alimentation (assez présent dans le régime crétois) que dans le domaine de la Phytothérapie (médecine traditionnelle qui utilise les plantes pour traiter différentes maldies).

Il existes plusieurs types de pourpier mais celui utilisé dans l'alimentation est le pourpier commun (portulaca oleracea), on le retrouve souvent en salade.

En Algérie, on l'appelle ''R'djila''. On le retrouve en salade mais également cuit à la vapeur avec un couscou "mesfouf b r'jila'' ou alors cuit avec des oignons et un couli de tomate (à la manière dont on cuisine généralement les épinards Algérie).

Le pourpier à de nombreuses vertues dont sa richesse en Vitamine E et en oligo-éléments: potassium, magnesium et calcium principalement.

Appliqué directement sur la peau, le suc du pourpier est hydratant, cicatrisant (pour les petites blessures), anti-inflammatoire et antibactérien.

Pour ma part, je l'ai fait à la manière des épinards et j'ai été agréablement surprise par son goût acidulé. Je vous le recommande vivement.

[gwendolynlerman]

Discovering the world

Sahrawi Republic

Basic facts

Official name: الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية (al-Jumhūrīyah al-‘Arabīyah aṣ-Ṣaḥrāwīyah ad-Dīmuqrāṭīyah)/Repúblic Árabe Saharaui Democrática (Arabic/Spanish) (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)

Capital city: Laayoune (de jure), Tifariti (de facto)

Population: 605,253 (2023)

Demonym: Sahrawi

Type of government: unitary semi-presidential republic

Head of state: Brahim Ghali (President)

Head of government: Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun (Prime Minister)

Gross domestic product (purchasing power parity): $908.9 million (2007)

Gini coefficient of wealth inequality: no data

Human Development Index: 0.681 (medium) (2022)

Currency: Algerian dinar (DZD), Mauritanian ouguiya (MRU), Moroccan dirham (MAD), and Sahrawi peseta (EHP)

Fun fact: It is recognized by 46 United Nations members.

Etymology

Ṣaḥrāwī means “inhabitant of the desert” and comes from the Arabic word Ṣaḥrāʼ, meaning “desert”.

Geography

The Sahrawi Republic is located in North Africa and borders Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It only controls the easternmost one-fifth of Western Sahara.

It has a hot desert climate. Temperatures range from 11 °C (51.8 °F) in winter to 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. The average annual temperature is 20.7 °C (69.2 °F).

The country is divided into four provinces (wilāyat), which are further divided into 25 districts (dawaïr). The largest cities in the Sahrawi Republic are Laayoune, Dakhla, Smara, Cape Bojador, and El Marsa.

History

5th century BCE: Phoenician and Carthaginian colonies

8th century CE: Arab immigration

1050s-1147: Almoravid dynasty

1121-1269: Almohad Caliphate

1472-1554: Wattasid dynasty

1884-1976: Spanish Sahara

1970: Zemla Intifada

1973-1976: Sahrawi insurgency

1975: Green March; International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Western Sahara; Madrid Accords

1975-1991: Western Sahara War

1976: partition of Western Sahara

1976-1979: Mauritanian control

1976-present: Moroccan control; Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

1991: Settlement Plan

1997: Houston Agreement

1999-2004: First Sahrawi Intifada

2001: Baker Plan

2005: Second Sahrawi Intifada

2010: Gdeim Izik protest camp

2011: protests

2020-present: clashes

Economy

The Sahrawi Republic mainly imports from Spain, China, and France and exports to Spain, France, and India. Its top exports are phosphates and fish.

The economy is based on fishing and phosphate mining. Agriculture represents 60% of the GDP, followed by services (60%).

The Sahrawi Republic is a member of the African Union.

Demographics

Arabs and Imazighen are the major ethnic groups. The main religion is Islam, practiced by 99.9% of the population, all of which is Sunni.

It has a negative net migration rate and a fertility rate of 3.8 children per woman. 81.1% of the population lives in urban areas. Life expectancy is 67.8 years and the median age is 21.3 years. The literacy rate is 90%.

Languages

The official languages of the country are Arabic and Spanish. The spoken Arabic variety is Hassaniya, but Moroccan Arabic is increasingly spoken in urban areas.

Culture

The concept of female beauty is embodied through fattening. Before marriage, girls intentionally overeat and perform limited physical activity to be attractive.

Men traditionally wear a long, loose robe (daraa), loose pants, and a turban (tagelmust). Women wear a long piece of clothing wrapped around the head and body (melhfa).

Architecture

Traditional houses in the Sahrawi Republic are made of mud bricks and have flat roofs.

Cuisine

The Sahrawi diet is based on dairy products and meat. Typical dishes include aych (cereals mixed with sweetened milk), lehem meshwi (grilled meat and vegetables), mesfouf qsentena (sweet date couscous), mreifisa (a meat stew served atop unleavened bread), and tharid (bread soaked in broth with meat and vegetables).

Holidays and festivals

Like other Muslim countries, the Sahrawi Republic celebrates Islamic New Year, Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, and Mawlid.

Specific Sahrawi holidays include Independence Day on February 27, First Martyr on March 8, Foundation of the Polisario Front on May 10, Day of the Martyrs on June 9, Zemla Intifada on June 17, and Day of National Unity on October 12.

Independence Day

Other celebrations include the International Art and Human Rights Meeting, which features art and graffiti, and the Sahara International Film Festival.

International Art and Human Rights Meeting

Landmarks

There are no UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Landmarks include the Boujdour Lighthouse, the Dakhla National Park, the Devil’s Mountain, the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, and the Saint Francis of Assisi Cathedral.

Saint Francis of Assisi Cathedral

Famous people

Ahmed Mulay Ali Hamadi - writer

Ali Radjel - soccer player

Aziza Brahim - actress and singer

Beyibouh El Haj - poet

Elkouria Amidane - activist

Hadjatu Aliat Swelm - poet

Nadhira Mohamed - actress

Najm Allal - singer

Salah Ameidan - athlete

Tesh Sidi - politician

Aziza Brahim

You can find out more about life in the Sahrawi Republic in this article and this video.

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

The art of chicory - braised chicory, nutty and spicy couscous and crispy halloumi. When the cuisine du monde inspired a French cook.

Chicory is one of the least popular ingredients in my family and it’s true that a lot of us will find its bitterness a bit unpleasant. But I like it and I’m not willing to ban it from my kitchen. Quite the contrary. Today I tried hard to reconcile everybody with it and it worked!

In my quest to counterbalance the bitter taste of the chicory I turned to the Northern African Mesfouf, a sweet and nutty couscous. I love including nuts to my dishes and I added some extra spices to make it sparkle on the palate. Then I thought it was missing some salt to complete the ideal flavour spectrum you can find in one dish. Nothing better than cheese to add a savoury flavour to your meal. I’m French and I was facing a lot of options but the Cypriot halloumi was in my opinion the best choice. 

So there it is, a little bit of everything from everywhere in one plate. We do say that variety is the key to a good diet. Here we have a variety of ingredients, tastes, textures, colours, scents and origins - and with a little bit of art, we found a lovely way to use our chicory.

Ingredients (for 2)

4 chicories 125 gm medium couscous

2 bird’s eye chilies 

50 gm raisins

1 tsp spices (cumin, ginger, cardamon, nutmeg)

Salt, pepper

1 tbsp chopped coriander 

150 gm nuts (almond, hazelnut, pistachio, pecan, pine nut, peanut - whole, crushed, flaked; pick your favourite and make a mix of everything)

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp honey

1 block of halloumi

2 tbsp olive oil

Method 

Clean the chicory and cut a hole at the base to get rid of the bitter part of it. Set aside.

Drain and slice the halloumi - 1/2 cm thick approximately. Set aside.

Take the seeds out of the bird’s eye chillies and chop finely.

In a large bowl place the couscous, spices, chopped coriander and bird’s eye chilies, then cover with boiling water. There should be water all the way to the surface of the couscous but no more. Cover the bowl with a lid and leave to rest for 10 minutes. 

Sprinkle a frying pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil and place on medium heat. Arrange the slices of halloumi in the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side until they take a nice golden colour and crispy looking texture. 

In the same frying pan melt 1 tbsp of butter and add the chicories when the butter starts bubbling. Leave for a couple of minutes on medium heat, flipping sides until the chicories are completely golden brown. Add a tbsp of honey and stir gently to caramelise them all around. Take out of the saucepan and set aside - but leave the frying pan on medium heat.

Melt another tbsp of butter in the frying pan and add the nuts. Cook gently for a minute then add 2 tbsp of honey. Stir until all the nuts are caramelised. Turn the heat off, then take the nuts out of the frying pan and set aside. 

Open the lid of the couscous bowl and add 1 tbsp of butter to the mixture. Stir with a fork until the couscous has absorbed all the butter. Then stir in the nuts. 

Place all the ingredients in your plates and serve immediately.

[marhaba-maroc-algerie-tunisie]

Mesfouf (مسفوف‎) is an Algerian and Tunisian dish which is a variant of couscous with finely rolled semolina and butter. It's quite popular in the Maghreb. It's traditional to consume it during Ramadan, and it is served at traditional celebrations or family meals. In Algeria, it sometimes is a main dish made of peas and beans, and served with a whey or yoghurt drink. There are many local recipes that are either salty or sweet. Some contain vegetables and meat, others peas and dried grapes as around the city of Tunis. In Sfax (Tunisia), it's almonds/pistachios/hazelnuts, dates, dried fruits, and custard. On the island of Djerba, it's spicy and often with peppers, dried meat, and herbs like garlic, fennel, and lavender. 

[darkwoods26]

Tunisian Sweets