[Sca-cooks] Warqa was: African dish

[Huette von Ahrens]

It is interesting because Claudia Roden in her book Arabesque says that Bstilla is made with
"trid" which she says is "an oily puff pastry made by pulling an elastic dough until it is
paper-thin and layering it."

In another section of her book, she has a section called "Warka or Brick for Bstilla and Briwat".

"Large, ever-so-thin pancakes called warka are used to makd large round pies called bstilla (or
pastilla) and small ones called briwat.  There are made in the shape of cigars, triangles,
corners, and square parcels with a variety of fillings and are deep-fried.

"Making warka is a highly skilled operation and these days it is left to specialists.  A dough is
made with hard-wheat (or bread) flour, a pinch of salt, and warm water, and then kneaded for a
long time as more water is worked in to obtain a soft, very moist, spongy elasticity.  Then the
dough is left to rest for an hous, covered with a film of warm water.  Lumps the size of an egg
are picked up with one hand and dabbed onto the oiled surface of a round tray placed bottom side
up over a fire.  As the dough touches the tray with repeated dabs, a thin, almost transparent,
film of pastry is built up and gradually expanded into a round about 12 inches in diameter."

So I am somewhat confused by her use of "trid" with the recipe and the use of "warka" elsewhere. 
However, it sounds to me that "warka" isn't really the same as phyllo/fillo, although she does
advocate it as a substitute.

Huette



--- Lilinah <lilinah at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Well, i'm now only a day or two behind in reading the list (i get the 
> digest which accounts for why i'm generally a day late and a dollar 
> short in responding to conversations)
> 
> Anyway, i'm sure this has been answered, but i'll just go ahead and 
> add this redundifying redundification...
> 
> "Sarah Fitzpatrick" <fitz at ccountry.net> wrote:
> >There is an northern African dish (Algeria?) with the crust made of a soft
> >dough dabbed on a hot pan (a wok like turned upside dowm over the heat
> >source) then pealed off and stacked. The pie is made of chicken, almonds
> >layers of dough and I forget what else.  Maybe 10 sheets, filling and
> >repeat. It is in the Time Life Cookbook for Africa.
> 
> Sounds like the famous Moroccan dish pigeon bistiyya. The process you 
> describe of dabbing the dough is how Paula Wolfert describes her cook 
> Fatima making warqa. Modern recipes in US cookbooks for bistiyya 
> (often spelled in a rather Spanish way as bistilla) substitute 
> chicken for pigeon, and phyllo (here we go, back in a circle again) 
> for warqa.
> 

My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel;   King Henry VI, part I: I, v 
http://www.twoheartsentwinedpottery.com/



 
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