What a journey this country provides for the 'buds'! By that, I am meaning the tastebuds. For my Canadian mouth, these past few months have provided an exotic culinary journey of tastes... occasionally clashing with my idea of what tastes should work well together. I envision myself perched up on the counter as a young girl, taking in every instruction from my mom on how to make a good sauce, or bake a cookie, or... the list goes on. My Canadian tastebuds began to develop an idea of which taste works with which taste, but never that! Well, welcome to a tour of a deliciously different menu of foods that we enjoy here on a regular basis. And please remember to put out of your mind 'the normal way'!
No McDonalds, Burger Kings, Subways in our town. In fact, I am not sure there is a burger to be found! But, we have found a nice option for those nights when mom just doesn't feel like cooking and it's called "Brick"! Let the journey begin. First, imagine a thin crepe-like shell with mashed potato spread throughout the center. Next, add a little harissa (the delight of our North African home - a paste made from hot chilies), tuna, parsley... and then, crack an egg into the mix. Fold over the edges, deep fry, and you have yourself an explosion of flavour called Brick. This truly has become a family favourite!
Next on our tour of cuisine, we'll take a look at, what seems to me, is the pride of cooking here - couscous! My favorite part about this dish is the community bowl. There is something unique and bonding to all gather around a bowl of couscous, spoon-in-hand, tasting each morsel of couscous and spicy sauce. From what I have experienced, the sauce is a tomato, onion, chili, and garlic-based sauce simmered with meat (often goat), and various options of pumpkin, potato, carrot, green peppers, and chili peppers. What a treat to be invited into a home to share in a bowl of steamy couscous!
Esa has recently been taking great delight in being the family's cup-bearer. He scans the menu, unable to read French and Arabic, and confidently points to an item, exclaiming, "I haven't tried that one! I want that one! What's in it?" His last attempt was quite a discovery for us all. Our next menu item for exploration is called 'Ojja'. Again, a tomato-based sauce is simmered with onions, garlic, harissa, green peppers and then the final touch is added: eggs are cracked into the bubbling mixture! What an aromatic meal, especially when eaten with bread dipped into the pungent sauce.
And, in honor of my husband, I must pay tribute to his personal favorite, Frikasi (don't know the spelling of that one!) In Darnell's own descriptive words, picture a roll with a slight donut-like taste. Into the sweetness of that roll is added tuna, harissa, olives (oh olives! How delicious you are!), and an egg. And viola, Frikasi! Darnell is happy!
Of course, this is a short guide through the carte de jour to be found on any given day in a bustling restaurant in this quiet little city. I haven't taken the time to explain the addiction my husband has to chwarma and bread and fresh olives. I haven't told you of the wonderful flavor that toasted almonds add to a cup of sugary mint tea. We haven't even delved into the world of fresh olive oil, straight from the tree and press. Oh what a taste difference you find! You'll have to wait to hear about all the other tastes that await your buds in North Africa....or just come discover yourself!
(And as a funny side-note and confession, I wrote this blog post while eating a plate of fries dipped in good ol' Heinz ketchup. The funny part of this story is that I carried my own ketchup to the restaurant because fries 'should' be eaten with ketchup. The waiter had a good chuckle and I had to shake my head at myself!)
