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If you have been on holiday in Morocco surely you will have tasted dishes prepared with the use of Tajine. This terracotta pot, often decorated and multicolored, has a particular shape: it is composed of a fairly large plate, where the ingredients to be cooked are placed, and a cone-shaped lid which allows the condensation that forms inside to go downwards. Let's find out more about the Tajine and how to use it to prepare delicious dishes.

Tajine: what is it?

The name Tajine indicates both the pot and the dish that thanks to it is prepared. Originally, cooking took place placing the Tajine on the coals, while today the dishes have a metal base, so that they can be placed on home gas stove. There cooking it's at slow fire, in this way the vegetables are flavored and the meat it becomes a lot tender and fragrant. The difference compared to other pots is that the conical shape causes the vapors to condense and fall back on the foods they are cooking, thus keeping inside the Tajine the aromas that are usually lost and making the taste of the dishes even more intense. Cooking thus does not provide for some kind of condiments and can also be defined lightbecause it is almost al vapor. The use of spices does the rest.

The tricks for using the Tajine

Given the very long duration of cooking that takes place through the use of Tajine, it is important to ensure that the ingredients you want to prepare moisture, or adding a cup of water before placing the pot on the stove or choosing ingredients that release it. Place in the middle of the Tajine the ingredients with longer cooking, it is there that the heat will be maximum, and keep the low fire. Do not worry then if you will see steam coming out of the pot, it is normal and is a guarantee of the right cooking method. The first time you use the Tajine to try to put it on your stove, if you think it is not positioned well buy a retina frangifiamma that will also help to better spread the heat on the bottom of the pot.

Which dishes can I prepare with Tajine?

The most famous and well known dishes that are prepared with the Tajine are the MQualli, based on chicken with lemon and olives, the Kefta (ie literally minced meat, lamb or beef or both, flavored with spices and onion and turned into meatballs), and Mrouzia (lamb meat sweetened with honey and raisins, which is served with spices and toasted almonds.). The basic ingredients are spices, such as turmeric, ginger, saffron, pepper, garlic, which add a lot of flavor to the ingredients. Eggs are also often used, as in Tajine bel-bayd (stewed with eggs).

Le lorighittas, a particular type of fresh Sardinian pasta from the province of Oristano, has been prepared and intertwined by the local women for over 100 years

On the slopes of Mount Arci, in the Sardinia western, rises the country of Morgongiori in the province of Oristano, about 800 inhabitants, known at the regional level for its carpets and handmade tapestries. This village, in reality, also holds a secret that is handed down from generation to generation, or the recipe and the technique of preparation of the lorighittas, a special format pasta, hand-woven, which can be considered a real gem of Sardinian gastronomic tradition.

The lorighittas, between tradition and folk tales

The first written testimony concerning the lorighittas dates back to XVI century, in a report on regional economic activities drawn up for the king of Spain, which at the time had control over most of southern Italy, including Sardinia, Naples and Sicily. In this document was in fact mentioned a particular Sardinian paste, twisted and shaped like a ring. The tradition of lorighittas was long linked to the celebration of the All Saints Day, 1 November. It was indeed customary that the women of the village gathered in the kitchens, in the previous days, and spend time together, kneading semolina flour and water and intertwining the dough on wooden tables. The lorighittas were then placed on wicker baskets, with an ornamental order that reminded the lace doilies, and left to dry. It was during this time of waiting that we proceeded with the preparation of the sauce, or a tomato sauce enriched with free-range cockerel meat, sometimes replaced with pork or wild boar in the wealthiest families.

So, like today, the preparation is done exclusively by hand and requires dexterity, meticulousness and a lot of time. Just think that only for the preparation of the dough, a process that includes the gradual addition of salt water to make the lorighittas softer, it takes at least 30 minutes.
Furthermore, the fact that from tradition the young women have always been involved in this local artisan pasta of the country, which then handed down the recipe to subsequent generations, it is probably due to the Sardinian pastoral culture according to which it was the duty of the women to take care of the food preparations while the men were busy in the fields.
Sull 'origin of the name, lorigas, there are many popular theories and stories. It is said, for example, that the pasta was so called because it recalls the growths of the neck of goats or pigs, or the literary translation "iron rings" because the shape is similar to that of the intertwined hoop earrings worn by women or of the iron rings that once were attached to the walls of the local houses to tie horses and oxen when the men returned from the fields.

The lorighittas today

While in the houses of Morgongiori women carry on the tradition, production is carried on, always with artisan and manual procedure, even from some laboratories. Moreover, since 2006, the municipal council, thanks to a program financed by the EU, has launched a project, Asso Lori, which deals with the enhancement, revitalization and protection of this unique pasta in the world, thus supporting local producers. Although pasta is still little known outside of Sardinia, consumer demand increases more and more.
Today lorighittas are a strong dish of many Sardinian restaurants and there are many chefs who propose original recipes with products of land and sea.
In addition, the city of Morgongiori continues to dedicate the first Sunday of August to the lorighittas in a city festival called Sagra delle lorighittas, so as to show off its precious culinary heritage.

Photo: Lorighittas pasta sardegna_fugzu_Flikr.jpg; Lorighittas @Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Br-A0XxF5Je.