When I think of hummus, one of my favorite foods, I think simple.
Three, four ingredients, mash it all up, you're done, but those living in 14th century Egypt clearly did not agree.
So today we will be making one of the most complicated recipes for hummus ever from Medieval Egypt.
So thank you to Brightland olive oil for sponsoring this episode as we recreate
a 28 ingredient hummus from medieval Egypt,
this time on Tasting History.
Today's recipe comes from the 'Kanz al-fawa'id fi tanwi al-mawa'id'
or 'Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table.'
It's a cookbook from 14th century Cairo, a city then known as the mother of all nations,
and it has over 800 recipes. First a huge thank you to Nawal Nasrallah who translated
this work as well as several other cookbooks from the region, and she herself is quite the treasure trove of knowledge.
She is the person to go to when wanting to look up anything about cooking from this part of the world,
so thank you to her and I will link to her work in the description.
Now there are no fewer than 10 hummus recipes in this cookbook all of which are more complicated
than most that you would find today. One has lamb in it, one is said to invigorate coitus.
I was tempted to try that one but I decided to go with the one that I just deemed the most complex
even though the others are pretty much just as complex.
"Hummus Kassa. Take boiled chickpeas and pound them into fine mush.
Add vinegar, sweet olive oil, tahini, black pepper, atraf tib,
mint, Macedonian parsley, and a bit of dried roux. Also add walnuts, almonds, pistachios,
and hazelnuts all pounded, as well as Ceylon cinnamon, toasted caraway seeds, coriander,
salt, lemon preserved in salt, and olives. Mix it all. Spread the mix in a bowl or plate.
Set it aside for a day, and then serve. It will come out good, God willing."
That's essentially how I finish every recipe I cook in the kitchen. It will come out good, God willing.
Now that was a lot of ingredients but gets even crazier when I tell you that one of those ingredients Atraf tib is a spice
mixture that we will have to create, and it's made up of 10 different ingredients bringing the total
to 28 ingredients.
So for this recipe what you'll need is: 1 cup or 200 grams of dried chickpeas,
2 tablespoons or 30 milliliters white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons or 45 milliliters extra
Now the olive oil that I'm using today comes from our sponsor Brightland.
Did you know that many of the olive oils that you find at grocery stores, at least here in the US are
not what they say they are? It is one of the most adulterated products out there and unlike wine
there is very little oversight.
It's like the Wild West out there in olive oil country,
but Brightland has taken up the mantle and is providing us with high quality olive oil produced
from a family farm here in California, so they sent me two olive oils.
Awake which is robust perfect for soups and pasta, and Alive which is more delicate
and it's perfect for salads and hummus, so that's what I'm using in the recipe today but
as I enjoy eating my olive oil typically just dipped with bread I'm gonna try the Awake.
I get that nuttiness but I also get a little grassy quality, as well as
a slight not overwhelming bitterness which is actually a good sign for extra virgin olive oil.
I look forward to trying this with a little bit of the balsamic vinegar that they sent me,
and next I want to get the Rosette which is infused with garlic. You can just tell that
these people really have a passion for what they do almost like a wine sommelier,
it's just lovely. So you too can try Brightland now and get 10% off when you use my code tastinghistory,
and click the link in the description to order your first duo set.
Now on to those other 25 ingredients.
A quarter cup or 60 milliliters of tahini, a quarter teaspoon ground black pepper,
three tablespoons of finely chopped fresh mint, three tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley,
one teaspoon dried rue, a quarter cup or 30 grams of walnuts, a quarter cup or 30 grams of almonds,
a quarter cup or 45 grams of pistachios. Not sure why they weigh more than all the other nuts but they did,
and a quarter cup or 30 grams of hazelnuts, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.
So this should be Ceylon cinnamon rather than Cassia cinnamon even though there are recipes in the
book that call for kasia, this definitely calls for ceylon cinnamon. It has a kind of a sweeter
and yet a little bit more spiced flavor than than the cassia. It is harder to find though so I will
put a link in the description. I'll actually put a link to all the ingredients in the description.
1/4 teaspoon ground caraway seeds, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 3/4 teaspoon rock salt,
a fourth of a salt preserved lemon and chop it up into little pieces. Now there is a recipe
for salt preserved lemons in the book but if you want to go the easier route and not wait
to preserve your lemons you can get them online, again link in the description.
A half cup or about 80 grams of chopped pitted olives, and one teaspoon of Araf tib. So as I mentioned this was a
spice blend that was very popular at the time and is used throughout the cookbook, unfortunately it
doesn't exist anymore but all the spices in it do. We don't exactly know the recipe but we do know
most of the ingredients, just not the proportions. So these proportions are what I chose based on
what I like but you can change it up.
Also I'm making quite a bit more than we actually need just so I have some for later.
What you'll need is one teaspoon dried spikenard, now this one
is really hard to find. It's usually used as a liquid in perfumes and in the Bible it was what
Jesus had poured on him when he was at the home of Simon the leper. But you don't want the oil,
you want the dried root. It has a wonderful earthy muskyness to it, it's just it's really lovely and
you're gonna be hard pressed to find something that is a good substitute.
Two small dried bay leaves, a half teaspoon of nutmeg, a half teaspoon of mace. Mace is actually the coating on the
outside of a nutmeg and it has a much stronger and yet sweeter flavor which I actually prefer.
I add it to a lot of things that don't even call for it just like I do with this next spice.
One teaspoon of cardamom, an eighth teaspoon of clove, one teaspoon dried rosebuds, a half teaspoon long pepper.
This was a very popular pepper used in Medieval times and ancient Rome and it kind of
went by the wayside, and I don't know why because it's so much more complex than our traditional
black pepper if a little bit spicier. I love it, It's worth getting.
One teaspoon of ginger and a half teaspoon of black pepper. So grind those all together and you have your Araf tib.
Now that was a lot of ingredients, 28 of them actually but that actually makes me more excited to try this hummus than ever.
So first the chickpeas. Chickpeas or garbanzo beans were held in high regard in
Medieval Egypt as they were not only tasty but medicinal. They were still all about that theory
of the four humors controlling your health and chickpeas were great because they were both dry
and hot so they could help with colds and the headaches, and chest aches that accompany them.
They were often seen as an aphrodisiac while at the same time caused bloating and flatulence
which kind of seem at odds with each other.
Anyway cover the chickpeas with plenty of water and soak them for eight hours.
You'll need a lot of water. They actually soak up a lot, they basically triple in size.
Then drain them, rinse them and put them in a pot add enough water to cover them plus about four inches.
Then bring to a simmer and cover the pot letting them cook over medium heat for
about 90 minutes or until they're soft and will easily mush.
Then drain them and let them cool and while they do take the tahini and stir it in a half cup or 120 milliliters of cold water
until it's fairly dissolved. This helps incorporate it into the hummus later,
otherwise it kind of separates and just doesn't work. Also go ahead and crush or chop your nuts.
And once the chickpeas are cooled it is time to mash. Now can you do this by hand? Yes!
Should you do this by hand? No!
It takes forever and you need a really, really big mortar and pestle.
It is going to be easier if you just put them into a food processor and mix until smooth.
Then add in all of the other ingredients and mix again.
Then dish the hummus onto a plate and spread it out, then cover it with foil. It needs to rest preferably
in the refrigerator overnight to let all the ingredients kind of get to know each other,
and while they get to know each other we can get to know this book from which our recipe comes.
"The cook should be an agreeable person... he needs to keep his fingernails trimmed at all times.
However, he should clip them neither too short and cause injuries
nor let them grow long enough to trap dirt underneath them."
That is how the anonymous author or compiler of the Kanz al-fawa'id opens the first chapter known as indispensable instructions for cooks.
Basically in his opinion the most important thing for a cook is to be nice and clean and he actually
goes on quite a bit about the cleanliness of the kitchen.
"To keep the ants away, wipe off anything sweet that might have fallen on the floor in the place where you keep the jars."
Now that seems like good advice but this felix unger of Medieval Egypt takes fastidiousness
to a whole new level when it comes to onions.
"The right thing to do- and this must be heeded- is to thoroughly wash with water
the onion you chop for any dishes you cook before adding it to the pot.
There should be a separate knife for cutting the onion, which you rub with sweet olive oil before using it.
This knife is to be used for cutting onion and garlic and nothing else."
Does everyone else have a separate knife for chopping onions and garlic and I just don't? Should I?
Now aside from making sure that everything is neat and tidy the author gives us some how-to's about
the kitchen. How to save a rice that is burned, how to get the smallest bones out of fish and
how to mask the smell of not so fresh meat, which was basically to just add a bunch of fenugreek and
then boil it to death. I just love how fussy he is about the cook's manicure and the onion knife,
but rotting meat? Meh!
But for me the most interesting tip that he gives and something I would either
like to try or at least have the science behind it explain to me is how to make something cook faster.
"If you want foods to cook fast, take the peel of a watermelon, dry it, crush it, and store it.
Whenever you want a dish to cook fast, add a small amount of it into the pot."
Don't have a microwave, just use a watermelon. I have no idea how that works. Now once he's done
telling you how to run a kitchen, but before he gets into the actual recipes, he has an
entire chapter albeit short on the benefits and dangers of drinking water.
"The physicians stated that those who seek good health should avoid drinking water first thing in the morning.
They should not drink it during the meal or immediately after it, part
but wait until the upper of the abdomen feels light."
That's this section of the abdomen right? Mine never feels light, maybe it's because I drink too much water.
Which is why I was a little distressed when I read that.
Luckily later on when he's telling how drinking cold water is bad because it will chill down the
liver too much, he does give a caveat which I think puts me in the clear.
"Those who have a lot of flesh, whose blood is red and whose appetites are strong, should not be wary of it.
They can have cold water whenever they wish and even while eating."
Score. That said you should stay away from
what he calls "water too cold to enjoy" as "it causes flatulence, does not quench feelings of thirst,
spoils the appetite and weakens the body. Altogether it's not good."
Post-water tirade he starts discussing liquids that are a little bit more interesting. Digestive drinks as well as over
a dozen recipes for foamy beers known as fuqqa. They range from what he admits is cheap and easy
to make to what he calls excellent and malty. Some are flavored with mint and pomegranate, pepper and
cardamom all things that I think that I should try out on Drinking History,
though he does put a disclaimer on his alcoholic libations saying that
"Fuqqa is harmful to the nerves and causes headaches and flatulence."
This was a very gassy diet. Frankly a glass of that, some cold water
and some of the hummus and you could clear a room. But it's not all bad because he says
it can also break a fever and lower the amount of yellow bile. One of those pesky four humors.
And he may actually have a bit of a point because according to the theory of the four humors having
too much yellow bile will make you choleric. Two symptoms of which are being over-ambitious and easy to anger.
And a couple of beers have been known to make people less ambitious and a lot more easy going.
Other liquids he mentions are some of the earliest recipes for distilled liquids though
they are not for alcoholic liquors but rather for perfumes and scented waters for washing your hands after a meal.
Now the rest of the cookbook is more what you would expect. Recipes for fish and meat,
lots of desserts and stews, and many sauces. One of which instructs
"If it is made for a Turk, use garlic with it. However, if it is for a local, then omit the garlic.
So Turks like garlic or at least he thought so and that kind of reminds me of my trip to Japan when I was pretty young.
I think I was like 12. I went with a choir and we stayed in a lot of different homes and every home that
we stayed at offered us Frosted Flakes for every single meal along with whatever else they were serving us.
It was as if someone had gone over there and said American kids love Frosted Flakes,
always give them Frosted Flakes. So Turks garlic, American kids Frosted Flakes.
Actually kind of checks out.
Now while some of the recipes in the cookbook are written with maybe the common man in mind,
most are not mainly because they are recipes and most people didn't have kitchens.
They got their food fully cooked from many of the markets in Cairo.
Also many of the recipes include meat and fruit which was not common
and at times was only available to those who went to the hospital,
and there are actually stories of people feigning sickness just so they could have a decent meal,
but there are times during this period where the common man did get to indulge a little more often
such as in the 9th century during the reign of Ahmad Ibn Tulun. His kitchens prepared meals each
day of a meat dish and four breads two of which were stuffed with a dessert. Then the palace doors
were thrown open and the common people would come in and he would watch them eat.
His son also kept up the tradition, kind of, though was a little bit more business savvy. He would basically have all of
the food that had been made for him and his harem that hadn't been finished, you know half a chicken
or part of an apricot that was still good, boxed up, and taken to the front gates
and then sold to the common people at a discount.
And there was always food left especially after a simat or banquet.
Some of these were small but the ones really worth remembering were big.
There was a ton of food just like the banquets that were going on in Europe around the same time.
But where a European king would put the food out on a long table spread out like Los Angeles,
the rulers of the Fatimid Caliphate built up, like New York City.
Grilled lamb, poultry, and assorted breads would be built up
on a mountain of food as tall as a person,
and then any holes would be stuffed full of other little meats,
or desserts and puddings. In all up to 500 different dishes could be in this food wall.
Then just as the caliph arrived two giant palaces made of sugar would be brought in and set at either end of the meat wall.
Then the eating could begin. And just like I need the TV on,
or at least a conversation while I'm eating so I can't hear myself chewing, so too did the caliph
need some entertainment, and this often came in the form of a contest.
Two soldiers renowned for their bottomless gullets would be pitted against each other to see who could eat more.
Then, them being stuffed and all of the other guests being stuffed, anything left over,
and there was always something left over, would be brought out to the palace gates and given to those people outside.
Now I'm not making a wall of hummus but if there is any left, doubtful, but if there is any left
I will follow the tradition of the semat and share with whomever would like to have some, but first
I taste.
So once the hummus is well-rested take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
Then you can garnish it with additional herbs, or nuts, or olives, and a drizzle of olive oil,
and then it's ready to serve.
And here we are 14th century Egyptian hummus. I just love hummus. It really is one of my
like- I could eat it every day. Let's try this out.
A little pita here, give it a dip.
Hmm. Hmm!
HMM! A lot of ingredients, but a lot of flavors. The first thing that hits you
is the olive. It's like oh wait this is way too olivey but then it subsides and the coolness of
the mint really comes through, but it's not like toothpastey minty, but it is like freshening
and then the nuts come. All those different nuts. What's interesting is
so many different spices in this and it really adds that spice, not hot, but that spice to it
but there is nothing that like jumps out. They're all just, they're all really mixed in very, very well.
t's fantastic. The hummus itself is not as smooth as many modern day hummuses, it's a little bit-
you know because it has so many like different nuts and things in it. It's it's just a little
more gritty I guess but not in a bad way. Anyway it's a big plate so there will probably be some
left over but not very much. Like I said I love hummus so
it's probably going to be eaten over the next couple days.
So thank you to Brightland for sponsoring this video
and make sure to follow me on Instagram @tastinghistorywithmaxmiller (Jose Subs - @worldagainstjose)
and I will see you next time on Tasting History.