That Translator Can Cook: Warak Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Warak enab means ‘grape leaves’ in Arabic, but this dish is also commonly known as dolma, which is the singular term of this dish in Greek-usually the Greek stuffed grape leaves are referred to as dolmades (the plural term)…
That Translator Can Cook: Maaqouda
I couldn’t find much information about maaqouda’s origins, but one question did arise from it: why do we all like frying potatoes?
That Translator Can Cook: Malfouf (Stuffed Cabbage)
A lot of people don’t like cabbage because it stinks when you cook it, but cabbage is good for you…
That Translator Can Cook: Lahm bi Ajeen/Sfiha
Lahm bi ajeen (lit. ‘meat with dough’) and sfiha seem to be almost the same recipe, except I see lahm bi ajeen is typically flat whereas sfiha’s corners tend to be pinched together…
That Translator Can Cook: Manakish
Manakish is also called “mana’ish” or “man’oushe”: man’oushe is the singular and mana’ish/ manakish is the plural…
That Translator Can Cook: Falafel vs. Ta’ameya
There is a heated debate concerning falafel: which is the best, ta’ameya or falafel? (Ta’ameya is the Egyptian name for its version of falafel that uses fava beans instead of garbanzo beans.)
That Translator Can Cook: Bourek
Bourek originated from the Turkish pastry börek, as did the Tunisian brik that I’ve written about before…
That Translator Can Cook: Dukkah
Dukkah is also written as ‘duqqa,’ ‘do’ah,’ and ‘du’ah’ and derives from the Arabic root meaning ‘to crush.’…
That Translator Can Cook: Brik
Brik is a Tunisian variant of the Turkish börek, which is believed to be its predecessor brought to North Africa by the Ottoman Empire…
That Translator Can Cook: Fried Kibbeh
Apparently, kibbeh derives from a delicacy called ‘gubibate’ enjoyed by the King of Assyria in 9th century BCE…