User:Una723/Harissa

Harissa (Arabic: هريسة harīsa, from Maghrebi Arabic) is a hot chili pepper paste, native to the Maghreb. The main ingredients are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers (بقلوطي), spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and olive oil to carry the oil-soluble flavors.

Tunisia is the biggest exporter of prepared harissa and UNESCO lists it as part of Tunisia's Intangible Cultural Heritage. The origin of harissa goes back to the importation of chili peppers into Maghrebian cuisine by the Columbian exchange, presumably during the Spanish occupation of Ottoman Tunisia between 1535 and 1574.

History[edit]

Muslim and Jewish Andalusians who were accepted into Tunisia brought the peppers used to make harissa with them after they were expelled from Spain. For this dish which transcended religion, the Andalusians who were forced to move into Tunisia would sun-dry the peppers and then grind them into a paste, at the time, using a mortar and pestle. Nabeul, a town in Tunisia, is known as the harissa capital of the world, and the fiery red peppers which are used to make harissa can be found abundantly in Nabeul.

Etymology[edit]

The word derives from the Arabic root 'harasa' (Arabic: هرس) 'to pound, to break into pieces', referring to pounding chilis, a tool traditionally used to make the paste in the Maghreb is called Mehraz [fr], and similar names are used for other pastes in the Maghrebi cuisine, such as "Hrous" which uses the same harissa recipe with a slight difference in the peppers, which are green.

Consumption and culinary traditions[edit]

Algeria[edit]

In Algeria, harissa is commonly added to soups, stews, and couscous. Harissa paste can also be used as a rub for meat or eggplants. Another significant producer is Algeria's Annaba Province, which is also a significant consumer. According to cookbook author Martha Rose Shulman, premade harissa tastes rather different from that which is served in Tunisian and expatriate restaurants.

Israel and Libya[edit]

In Israel, harissa is a common topping for sabich and shawarma.

Filfel chuma (Hebrew: פלפלצ'ומה‎), also spelled pilpelshuma, literally "pepper garlic", is the typical chili sauce of Libyan Jewish cuisine which is very similar to the harissa. It comes from Libyan cuisine,^{[citation needed]} where it is known as maseer (Arabic: المصير or مسّير حار mseyer). It is also known by other names such as filfil mukhalal (فلفل مخلل) and filfil makbos (فلفل مكبوس). It is made from powdered sweet and hot peppers and crushed garlic. Other ingredients, such as ground caraway seeds, cumin, lemon juice, and salt are sometimes added. It serves as a condiment and as an ingredient in dishes such as salads, meat, fish, legumes and rice, and egg dishes such as shakshouka.

Morocco[edit]

Moroccan cuisine has also adopted harissa, and some Moroccans use it as a side condiment for tagines, or sometimes mixed into dishes. Moroccans tend to have a preference for less seasoned harissa as it allows them to incorporate it into dishes of different flavor profiles.

Tunisia[edit]

Recipes for harissa vary according to the household and region. Variations can include the addition of fermented onions or lemon juice. Prepared harissa is sold in jars, cans, bottles and tubes. Harissa is sometimes described as "Tunisia's main condiment", even "the national condiment of Tunisia", or at least as "the hallmark of Tunisia's fish and meat dishes". In Tunisia, harissa is used as an ingredient in a meat (poultry, beef, goat, or lamb) or fish stew with vegetables, and as a flavoring for couscous. It is also used for lablabi, a chickpea soup, and fricasse.

Tunisia is the biggest exporter of prepared harissa. In 2006, the Tunisian production of harissa was 22,000 tonnes, incorporating about 40,000 tonnes of peppers. Tunisian harissa is often made with Baklouti peppers and chilis grown around Nabeul and Gabès, which are relatively mild, scoring 4,000–5,000 on the Scoville scale. On December 1 2022, UNESCO added "Harissa, knowledge, skills and culinary and social practices" as part of Tunisia's Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Evaluating the Article

The article is a semi-stump. The article's content is relevant to the topic and refers to Harissa in the context of different countries, which is accurate. The article also appears to be written neutrally and there doesn't appear to be any bias of any sorts in the article. Practically every sentence has a citation, and the citations are from reliable websites like UNESCO, National geographic, books, and other sources. The article tackles wikipedia's underrepresented subjects, which is food in Africa. There is a lot of information about food in other continents for example Europe. However, food in Africa has historically been underrepresented.

Preparation

The first step to preparing harissa is to rehydrate the dried chillies with water for at least an hour, but preferably overnight. The chillies are then seeded and are blended in a food processor or a grinder with garlic, roasted red peppers, tomato paste, lemon juice, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and caraway seeds. Once the blend is mostly smooth but slightly chunky, olive oil is drizzled over the blend. When it is completed, harissa tastes spicy, smoky, and tangy. It can be stored in the fridge for months as long as olive oil is drizzled over it after each use.