If you have tasted or heard about Moroccan cuisine you must definitely know about the hot favorite, known as tagine. But did you know that tagine is one of the most popular dishes to have ever originated out of North Africa? It is very popular in North African countries like Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. The dish is also called tajine and the foreigners often tend to mispronounce it calling it tangine; like tangerine. The dish has gained immense popularity not only in its native Morocco but all over the world. Patrons of the tagine vouch by its delicate blend of flavors and spices. It is now very common to see this dish racing the tables of many household in the USA and being served in many specialty food restaurants across the country.
The dish derives its name from the cooking utensil, the tagine. These pots are made from Terra Cotta. The tagine pot has a shallow rimmed base and a conical cover. The bottom of the pot which holds the food is usually glazed from the inside because this is the part that comes in contact with the food. However the lid is glazed from the outside so that the steam can evaporate. The advantage of cooking in the tagine pot is that the clay absorbs the juices making the gravy concentrated and more flavorful.
The tagine lid has a steam outlet on top. There are always newer versions of the tagine pots being introduced in the market, so you may even find pots that are glazed on both sides. If you travel to Morocco you will often see these tagine pots on charcoal burners outside restaurants etc with one of the nations most well known delicacies simmering away inside.
Even though there are more than 20 variations as far as tagine goes and there are numerous ingredients that can be used to make this dish from an assortment of vegetables and fruits to different toes of meat and even fish. The taine pot is never kept in the oven, the dish is always cooked on a stove.
The most popular variety of the tagine is one that is made from chicken, olives and preserved lemon. You could also make it out of lamb meat and use prunes and eggs instead of the olives and lemons. If you want a taste of this dish in Uncle Sam land just head over to the Andalous Moroccan Restaurant in Chicago. The restaurant has garnered quite a fan following with its diverse offering of the ever famous tagine. They currently serve over 11 varieties of the dish. Thee are usually made with beef, chicken, lamb or fish. Ingredients that are added to the meats include: onions, pepper, tomatoes, nuts, sesame seeds, prunes, apricots, dry fruits, eggs, cumin, cilantro, cinnamon and paprika.
The primary difference between the tagine available in the US and the one available in Morocco is the cooking medium used. While in the US the dish is made with olive oil in Morocco clarified butter is used to prepare it.
There are restaurants scattered all over the US that serve tagine, among the more popular ones are: The Lite Touch in NY, L’Olive in Chicago, Magador in NY, Perry’s in Washington, Oasis in Los Angeles and the Cafe de Coq also in Chicago.
The difference in Moroccan tangine and the tangine served in Algeria and Tunisia is the addition of harissa to the later. This is a chili based condiment that is exclusively served with Algerian or Tunisian tangines.
When the tangine tradition came to America, chefs experimented quite a bit to come up with something that can best be described as fusion tangine. For instance, the tangine served in Marseille Restaurant in NY. Its made with guinea hen, chickpea, tomato and harissa.
Even though there are many restaurants in the USA that serve tagine, if you are looking for an authentic taste you better go to one of the best.
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