[Sca-cooks] Asabi Zainab

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Martha Oser wrote:
>Here's my redaction for Asabi Zainab.  The original recipe is from "The
>Description of Familiar Foods" found in _Medieval Arab Cookery_.  Enjoy!
>
>Asabe Zainab (Fingers of Zenobia, 3rd century queen of Palmyra)  Take a
>pound of flour and knead it with 3 ounces of sesame oil.  Then knead it with
>hot water and put it on a cane and fry it somewhat.  Then take it out (and
>remove the cane) and throw it in honey and take it up.  Stuff it with plenty
>of pistachios and musk and rosewater and sprinkle sugar on it and it is
>taken up.
>
>Redaction by Lady Helena Handkorb
>
>Syrup:
>1 c sugar
>1 c water
>1/2 c honey
>1 t vanilla extrace
>1 t rosewater
>
>Dough:
>1 pound all-purpose flour (about 4 cups)
>1/2 t salt
>6 T sesame oil (the light, middle eastern kind, not the dark Asian kind)
>1 and 1/2 c hot water (approximately)
>oil for deep frying
>
>Filling:
>1/2 pound pistachio nuts, chopped
>1 t ground cardamom (in place of the musk, which is expensive and rare and,
>in some places, illegal)

SNIP

First, I'm curious why you made a syrup, since none is called for in 
the original

Second, I'm curious why you used vanilla which was only discovered by 
Europeans in the 16th century.

And third, i note that there is no similarity that i can tell between 
cardamom and musk. I understand that one cannot use musk, and i 
appreciate your note that you used cardamom for that reason. I don't 
recall cardamom being used this way in other pastry recipes in "The 
Book of the Description of Familiar Food". I would think that some 
seasonings that were used in other related pastries would be more 
likely than cardamom.

Fourth, reading your recipe makes my mouth water. It doesn't quite 
seem to reproduce the historic recipe, but it sounds luscious. Thank 
you for sharing.

Anahita