[Sca-cooks] Memos from a Mastic Marathon....

[Sue Clemenger]

Just a wild guess, but perhaps it's a generic term, rather like
"potage," or "soup" or "casserole."
--Maire, who just might *have* to try the first one (but then, I love
apricot anything <g>)

Philippa Alderton wrote:
>

>
> If you paid attention to my last post, I had a repeat,
> but that's because there were two different recipes
> with the same name.
>
> >From A Baghdad Cookery Book-
>
> Mishmishiya 1 (Sour Dishes) :
>
> Cut fat meat small, put into the saucepan, with a
> little salt, and cover with water. Boil, and remove
> the scum. Cut up onions, wash, and throw in on top of
> the meat. Add seasonings, coriander, cummin, mastic,
> cinnamon, pepper, and ginger, well ground. Take dry
> apricots, soak in hot water, then wash and put in a
> searate pan, and boil lightly: take out, wipe in the
> hands, and strain through a seive. Take the juice and
> add it to the saucepan to form a broth. Take sweet
> almonds, grind fine, moisten with a little apricot
> juice, and throw in. Some colour with a trifle of
> saffron. Spray the saucepan with a little rosewater,
> wipe its sides with a clean rag, and leave to settle
> over the fire: then remove.
>
> Mishmishiya 2 (Fried and Dry Dishes):
>
> Dissolve the tail and throw out the sediment. Cut fat
> meat small, then leave in the dissolved tail, stirring
> until browned. Cover with water and add a little salt
> and cinnamon bark. Then take red meat, chop fine, and
> make into cabobs the shape of apricots, placing in the
> middle of each a peeled sweet almond. When the meat
> has boiled in the water, and the scum has been skimmed
> off, drop in these cabobs, adding dry coriander,
> cummin, mastic, cinnamon, and ginger, all ground fine.
> When the liquid has all evaporated and only the oils
> remain, sprinkle with a little vinegar to form a
> little broth. Then grind sweet almonds fine, mix with
> water, co;our with saffron, and add to the saucepan to
> taste as required. Sprinkle some rosewater over the
> saucepan : wipe the sides with a clean rag. Leave over
> the fire for an hour to settle : then remove.
>
> My question-
>
> Why are both these dishes called the same thing? They
> seem to be rather different. Any insight, anyone?