Tunisian tagine
Tunisian baked egg dish with meat and cheese.
The Tunisian tagine is a baked egg dish with meat and cheese, distinct from the stew-based tagine of Morocco. Food writer Paula Wolfert compares it to the Italian frittata and, when wrapped in malsouka pastry, to a French quiche. Its name derives from the earthenware cooking vessel, also called a tagine, which traces its etymological roots to the ancient Greek τάγηνον (tágēnon) for 'frying pan'.
Quick Facts
- Region
- Tunisia
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Tunisian tagine is prepared by first making a simple ragout of meat cut into very small pieces, cooked with onions and spices. The spice blend may include dried rose flower buds and ground cinnamon, known as baharat, or a combination of ground coriander and caraway seeds called tabil. A starch such as cannellini beans, chickpeas, breadcrumbs, or cubed potatoes is added to thicken the juices.
Reader's Guide
When the meat is tender, flavorful ingredients such as parsley, mint, saffron, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked vegetables, or stewed calves' brains are added. The stew is then enriched with cheese and eggs, and the mixture is baked in a tagine (or a pie dish) until the eggs are set. To serve, the tagine is turned out onto a plate and sliced into squares. The Tunisian cooking vessel is traditionally round, small, and is either covered with hot coals or baked to cook the food inside. The name tagine, for both the dish and the vessel, derives from the ancient Greek τάγηνον, a shallow, flat-bottomed clay skillet. A variant called tagine malsouka wraps the tagine in sheets of malsouka pastry, a dish Wolfert compares to a French quiche.
Did You Know?
- Food writer Paula Wolfert compares the Tunisian tagine to an Italian frittata.
- A tagine malsouka wraps the tagine in sheets of malsouka pastry, compared to a French quiche.
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