Tagine is essentially a one pot stew originating from the North African region, like Western stews the Tagine has a central ingredient be it beef, lamb or vegetables around which the sauce is constructed and other ingredients added. Unlike the Western stew however the Tagine is altogether sweeter affair, packed with the sweet flavours of cinnamon and honey and using regional specialties such as preserved lemons and harissa paste.
The Origin of Tajine
Tagine its self is named after the unusual dome shaped device in which the dish is cooked in. Traditionally tagines are made of earthenware however today the tagine is available in a variety of materials including cast iron versions. The Tagines unusual shape however is a practical function of the requirements of dessert life rather than a decorative one. The Tagines unusual shape is designed to preserve as much water as possible during the cooking process, in addition the materials used see that heat is dissipated effectively thus reducing the amount of heat needed to cook the dish.
Despite the humble origins of Tagine which are associated with the constraints of a primitive desert lifestyle the dish is an eye catching way to bring something new and interesting to the modern kitchen.
Buying a Tagine From Terracotta Pot to Cast Iron
In cooking a tagine the first point to note is that owning a tagine is not strictly a prerequisite for the dish, any large good quality stew pan will serve the same purpose. However half of the fun of tagine is its element of novelty to which the physical devise adds to the value greatly. In addition whilst the prime concern may not be the preservation of water and fuel in the modern kitchen the cook using an authentic tagine will still benefit from these considerations whether using a gas hob or open fire to cook on.
Tagines are available from most cookware stores and on the whole buyers are faced with a choice between traditional earthenware and cast iron. If cooking is to be carried out on a gas or electric hob then a cast iron version may be the more durable option, although these tagines tend to be a lot more expensive. An earthenware version may be used in its place however heating the device up too quickly may lead to the dish cracking. If an earthenware version is purchased it is recommended that a heat dissipater is used when cooking on a gas fired hob.
Tagine Recipes - From Lamb and Chicken to Vegetable
Tagine recipes are extremely versatile and are usually cooked around a central meat such as beef or lamb, there are however many vegetarian recipes available as well as other variations which include such ingredients as seafood and poultry based versions.
A quick search on the internet will reveal a number of good tagine recipes however for the serious cook Ghillie Basan has produced a good recipe book titled Tagine Spicy stews from Morocco. The book has around 25 tagine recipes as well as some additional regional accompaniments and advice on the origin and cooking of tagine. The Leon cook book also has a great recipe for a vegetarian version of the tagine and is a tried and tested favourite.
The following represents a list of ingredients which are used in tagine and for which one may need to make a special trip for although all have a fairly long life. Preserved lemons, harissa paste, ras-el-hanout and Ghee.
Ben Groves - Ben Groves graduated from the University of Abertay, Dundee in 2003 with a 2:1 in Business with Economics. Since graduation Ben has held a ...
