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Tajine, also known as a tagine, is a North African dish named after the earthenware pot in which it is prepared. It is also known as maraq or marqa.
Origin of Tajine
Tagine dates back to the reign of Harun al-Rashid, the fifth Abbasid Caliph. The concept of cooking in a tajine first appears in the famous One Thousand and One Nights, an Arabic-language story collection from the 9th century.
Variations of Tajine
Recipes vary from cuisine to cuisine and from lamb to beef to chicken to fish, and while some tagines include dried fruit and nuts, others include fresh herbs, olives, preserved lemons, and even eggs and sausage.
There is also a Berber tagine, which is distinguished by the artistic arrangement of the vegetables around the lamb.
Tajine dishes from Algeria and Morocco are slow-cooked savory stews made with sliced meat, poultry, or fish, as well as vegetables or fruit. There are also spices, nuts, and dried fruits. Ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and saffron are common spices. Vegetable tajines contain paprika and chili.
What Tunisians call a “tajine” is not the same as other types of the dish. Tunisian tajine is similar to an Italian frittata or eggah.
How To Prepare Tagine
The cooking-pot and its traditional broth are mostly prepared in the Middle East and North Africa nowadays.
Tajine can be prepared in a variety of ways. Saman (clarified butter) is used to lubricate the surface in the original qidra style, and a puree of chopped onion is added for flavor and aroma. To enhance the flavors of muqawlli-style cooking, the ingredients are marinated in olive oil.
