Ma'amoul Explained
Ma'amoul (Arabic: معمول pronounced as /ar/) is a filled butter cookie made with semolina flour. It is popular throughout the Arab world. The filling can be made with dried fruits like figs, dates, or nuts such as pistachios or walnuts, and occasionally almonds.[1]
Ma'amoul is usually made during the holidays of Easter, and a few days before Eid (then stored to be served with Arabic coffee and chocolate to guests who come during the holiday).[2] It is popular throughout the Arab world,[3] especially in the Arabian Peninsula.[4]
They may be in the shape of balls, domed or flattened cookies. They can either be decorated by hand or be made in special wooden moulds called tabe.
Variations
The cookies can be filled with nuts (commonly used nuts are pistachios, almonds or walnuts) or dried fruits, most commonly orange-scented date paste.[5]
In Turkey, maamouls are referred to as Kombe and the filling usually consists of crushed walnuts, ginger and cinnamon.[6]
Etymology
The Arabic word (Arabic: معمول pronounced as /ar/) is derived from the Arabic verb (Arabic: [[:wikt:عمل|عمل]], meaning "to do").[7]
Customs
While ma'amoul are consumed all-year long, they are most associated with Eid Al-Fitr or iftar as meals in celebration for the ending of Ramadan's fasting.[8] For Christian Arabs as well, ma'amoul is also part of the Easter celebrations.[9]
Ma'amoul was traditionally served by the Sephardic Jewish community of Jerusalem during Purim. It was described as the "Sephardic Hamantash".[10]
Further reading
- Farah, Madelain, Lebanese Cuisine: More than 200 Simple, Delicious, Authentic Recipes: London: 2001
- Smouha, Patricia, Middle Eastern Cooking, London 1955 ASIN: B0000CJAHX
- Roden, Claudia, A New Book of Middle Eastern Food: London 1986
- Roden, Claudia, The Book of Jewish Food: New York 1997, London 1999
- Uvezian, Sonia, Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen: A Culinary Journey Through Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan: 2004,
- Joan Nathan, The Jewish Holiday Kitchen: New York 1988
- Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook: 2004,
External links
Notes and References
- News: Amy E. . Robertson . 2017-04-11 . The Salt . Ma'amoul: An Ancient Cookie That Ushers In Easter And Eid In The Middle East . NPR . 2017-11-10 . en.
- Web site: . 7 September 2016. Ma'amoul: The Sweet Tradition of Eid. The Irresistible Magazine . Al Rifai. 11 November 2017. 4 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190404185122/http://irresistible.alrifai.com/2016/09/07/ma'amoul-the-sweet-tradition-of-eid/. dead.
- Book: Obayda . Gloria . Sweets And Desserts Of The Middle East . Aribasteel . en . 9780955268144 . 2010.
- Web site: 3 February 2014. Ma'amoul pie, or how to leave well enough alone . At the Immigrant's Table . 11 November 2017. 14 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190414140506/http://immigrantstable.com/2014/02/03/maamoul-pie/. dead.
- Book: Goldstein, Joyce. Saffron Shores: Jewish Cooking of the Southern Mediterranean. 2002. Chronicle Books. 9780811830522. 169.
- Web site: Warren. Ozlem. Tag: variations of ma'amoul. 2021-12-20. Ozlem's Turkish Table. en-US.
- . معمول . https://www.almaany.com/ar/dict/ar-ar/%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%88%D9%84/. Almaany. en.
- Book: Holidays of the World Cookbook for Students . 2nd . ABC-CLIO . 2011 . 383. 9780313383946 . Lois Sinaiko . Webb . Lindsay Grace . Cardella.
- Book: Helou, Anissa . Sweet Middle East: Classic Recipes, from Baklava to Fig Ice Cream . 2015 . Photographs by Linda Pugliese . 9780594094197 . Chronicle Books.
- Book: Ṭalbi-Ḳadmi, Raḥel . he:רשליקה = Rashelika : ניחוח המטבח הירושלמי ספרדי המסורתי : חמישה דורות של מתכונים משפחתיים מסורתיים . Rasheliḳah = Rashelika : niḥoaḥ ha-miṭbaḥ ha-Yerushalmi Sefaradi ha-mesorati : ḥamishah dorot shel matkonim mishpaḥtiyim mesoratiyim . Rashelika: the aroma of the traditional Spanish Jerusalem kitchen: five generations of traditional family recipes . 1996 . 82–87 . 98825100 . Jerusalem . O. Raikh, Y. Ḳadmi.
