That Translator Can Cook: Dukkah
An Egyptian spice blend (which is often made into a dip) made up of toasted sesame seeds, nuts (macadamia, almonds, or hazelnuts), coriander seeds, cumin seeds (or ground cumin), salt, and pepper. In the Gazan version, we lose the nuts and add tomatoes, dill, and hot peppers.
I’ve never had dukkah before but considering the sesame seeds and the spiciness of the Gazan variant; I don’t think I will be eating it any time soon on account of my weakness against spiciness and my allergies. Dukkah is originally an Egyptian recipe, but I chose the Palestinian and Gazan recipes because I couldn’t find an Egyptian dukkah recipe (in Arabic) with proportional measurements or that wasn’t part of a larger recipe like koshari.
Dukkah is also written as ‘duqqa,’ ‘do’ah,’ and ‘du’ah’ and derives from the Arabic root meaning ‘to crush.’ It can be eaten by itself, it can be added to oil to make a dip, or it can be added to recipes like other popular spice blends. Another popular way to eat dukkah is to dip bread in olive oil and then dip it into dukkah, so that the dukkah sticks to the bread. Because it’s rich in fat and protein, dukkah is very filling. According to SPICEography, it’s also rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, mono-unsaturated fats, and fiber.
Dukkah originated in ancient Egypt, which was had an advantageous location on a spice trade route. According to Gillie Houston, “each of these spices took on deeper symbolic meanings to the Egyptians, in addition to both being considered remedies for digestive problems and stomach pain.” Coriander became a symbol of love and passion (and was also rumored to be an aphrodisiac), and cumin became a symbol of faithfulness.
Dukkah is also popular in Palestine: F. Robert Hunter wrote about how Palestinians were surviving on bread and dukka during the siege in the early years of the First Intifada. Palestinian dukkah often replaces the nuts in the Egyptian variant with wheat berries. The Gazan recipe is more like a dip than a spice blend, and much spicier too. I’ve gotten the feeling that Gazan cuisine favors spiciness, which is not something I’ve experienced in the West Bank.
One of the reasons why I chose the Gazan recipe is to highlight the uniqueness of this variation and of the place it’s eaten in. Gazan cuisine is totally unique because the situation in Gaza is…unique (if we’re using pretty euphemisms). Gaza is colloquially referred to as “the world’s largest open-air prison,” and is frequently bombed/raided by Israel. It’s called a prison because movement (of people and goods) across its borders with Egypt and Israel resembles a slight trickle. Gazans live under political and economic repression in the form of military rule, sieges, and a blockade. It only makes sense that Gazan cuisine is as ‘unique’ as the situation Gazans live in. As Sawsan Abu Farha (from Chef in Disguise) puts it: “In short, Gazans take pride in making you sweat 🙂 then again, if you live in a place that is bombed by Israel every two years, you’d better learn to tolerate the heat.”
Here is how to make this spicy tomato and dill dip (recipe belongs to Nadia Tommalieh [نادية طمليه]) and this Palestinian variant of dukkah (recipe belongs to Um Ahmed Al-Ghraisi’s Food [مأكولات أم أحمد الغريسي]).
Palestinian Dukkah or Red Zaatar
Ingredients
1 cup of peeled wheat
0.5 cups of lentils
1 cup of sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoons of sumac
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
1 tablespoon of caraway seeds
1 tablespoon of dill seeds
1 teaspoon of chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of lemon salt (citric acid)
Steps
Toast the wheat and lentils on medium heat, stirring continuously until they turn golden brown, then grind them into a powder.
Put the sumac, cumin, coriander, caraway, dill powder and in frying pan and mix well. Continually stir on medium heat for ten minutes.
Toast the sesame seeds, then add them to all the other ingredients and mix them together. Mix well and the dish is ready to eat.
Put the dukkah in a tightly sealed container and store it in a dry place. Bon appetit!
Ghazan Dukkah
Ingredients
1/ 2 teaspoon of dill seeds
2 cloves of garlic
3 chili peppers, minced. Depending on your taste, you can add more chili peppers or you can have a mixture of sweet and chili peppers.
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup of fresh, minced dill
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/4 cup of olive oil
Salt to taste
Steps
Grind the dill seeds with a mortar and pestle or a bowl, if available. Add the garlic and salt; grind well.
Add the minced peppers to the garlic and mash them.
Add the diced tomatoes and mash them in a bowl until their consistency is similar to the other pulverized ingredients.
Add the fresh dill, lemon juice, and olive oil; mix with a spoon.
Drizzle some olive oil on a plate and serve the dukkah as a side salad with the main dish or with warm bread for dipping. Bon appetit!
Translators’ Discussion
Does anyone who speaks the Palestinian dialect know if سن ثوم refers to cloves of garlic and if قرون فلفل حار can refer to whole chili peppers? I have come across these expressions when translating the recipes for this blog series, but never in real life experience.
Can anyone tell me the origin of عين جرادة and why it is used to refer to dill seeds? I’m just curious.
In the Ghazan recipe, it stated you could use a mortar and pestle or الزبدية الغزاوية, which I simply translated as a bowl because I couldn’t find any concrete references to زبدية غزاوية (lit. “Ghazan bowl”). Is this in fact just a bowl, or is it a specialized utensil/appliance of some sort?
I added ‘seeds’ to a lot of the spice in the Palestinian recipe because some of them are usually only sold as seeds (caraway seeds) and because they are toasted in a pan. I would think ground spices would be burnt if toasted in a pan for 10 minutes. What are your opinions on this?