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PilotMikeTx

Please help, I returned from Libya with some recipes (or as close as I could get given my Libyan friends didn't know the English translation for many ingredients, and also they all were men and apparently don't cook.)

At any rate, at almost every restaurant, with the bread we were served a spicy red pepper spread and also a slightly tangy creamy white spread that was not quite a butter and not quite a mayonnaise.Ìý Maybe it was a fresh goat's milk butter...I really have no idea, but it was a great compliment to the spicy red pepper spread.

What are their names and how are they made?Ìý I think the red pepper spread is mostly roasted red peppers and olive oil, but there was a spice that I am not familiar with.

I miss it, and it's keeping me up at night.

Mudman

Harissa ?

mzsmartypants

Here's a link to a good site for Libyan recipes, and it just so happens she added Harissa recently.Ìý Everybody makes it a little differently (what spices/herbs get added), so it may not be exactly like the one you are used to.Ìý ÌýEnjoy.



PilotMike:Ìý Did it have garlic in the white sauce?

PilotMikeTx

Is harissa served straight as a condiment?Ìý I thought it was only used as a seasoning in other foods?Ìý That is probably the secret ingredient that is missing, though.

As for the white condiment, I'm thinking it may have been labneh?Ìý I'll have to find some here and compare.Ìý It was not the garlic sauce that is served with shish taouk (also delicious).

It's amazing all the variations on the regional cuisines across North Africa.Ìý Here in Dallas, we have a large Muslim community and a lot of "Mediterranean" restaurants, but they tend to serve more Greek style food, even if they're owned by Arabs.Ìý There are some Persian and Lebanese restaurants that are quite good, but I think I need to find a Tunisian restaurant to get close to Libyan cuisine.

MoEl

PilotMikeTx wrote:

Is harissa served straight as a condiment?


...and sometimes as a main course.


As for the white condiment.....(also delicious).


And then they ask why I am a proponent of eugenics.

It's amazing all the variations on the regional cuisines across North Africa.


Food for thought:

To 'create' flavor and appeal to our taste buds while still making a profit, most restaurants relay on:
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) or other high-sodium synthetic flavoring; Saturated, even hydrogenated fats; and hormone-wrecking starch.
i.e. grease and flour is all you're eating :(

MoEl

Sorry, resturants do not relay, they rely

Rocko

this is like a pop quiz : the answer is Hummus made from chickpeas, olive oil, garlic.. white colour slight bitter taste. Great dip for fried chicken. Rich in B vits. They sell it in cans in the souks,as well, and you just need to add water and Wallah! - like homemade HUMMUS!

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