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Copeland Marks has written prolifically about authentic ethnic food, covering every place from Guatemala to the Himalayas. In The Great Book of Couscous Marks presents the history and culinary brilliance of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia; the region of North Africa also know as the Maghreb. Couscous is a common cooking ingredient, along spices--particularly cinnamon, cumin, coriander and paprika, in all these countries. Each of these areas was also originally populated by the Berbers, occupied by the Ottoman Turks and the Arabs, then colonized by the French. These cultures heavily influenced the local cooking, with some differences in each.
Moroccan food is the most complex and sophisticated, Marks explains. Dishes may blend half a dozen spices, along with dried fruit and salt preserved lemons or olives. Tunisian food is relatively simple and hot, though many cooks will still find it amply robust and intriguing. Algerian food, Marks claims, is the most creative, as well as the most marked by French influences. Armchair chefs will enjoy the colorful descriptions of the markets, visits with home cooks, and experiences in restaurants. The recipes for the many tagines or stews, roasted chickens, and other dishes are easy to follow. Their ingredients are mostly available at supermarkets. The inclusion of Jewish dishes from the Maghreb make this a particularly interesting book for many people not familiar with the garlic-rich Moroccan Chickpea Stew or Algerian Merguez Juive, a sausage made with lamb or beef, cumin, coriander, and fiery chile powder. Though it takes some work to prepare the clear, precisely written recipes Marks provides, the aromatic, succulent results are worth the effort.
From Publishers Weekly
Few cookbooks have single-mindedly tackled couscous, the North African pasta that has become a stellar side dish in cafes and restaurants. Marks (Sephardic Cooking) turns his attention to the cuisines of North Africa that accompany couscous in all its guises-slow-cooked tagines, simmered charmoulas and others. Recipes from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia are presented as the author found them prepared in native kitchens, without much concern for overlapping styles (there are more than two dozen recipes for kefta or meatballs simmered in sauce). North American palates may have to adjust quite a bit to accommodate the sweetness and warm spices that characterize much of Moroccan and Algerian cooking (as much as one-quarter cup of sugar in one tagine); Marks rarely compromises. To present the cuisine of the region as he found it is his goal. An indigenous ingredient such as the spiced, fermented butter known as smen, indispensable to Moroccans, is listed as an ingredient without any possible substitute for Americans. Such authenticity could daunt novices. However, Marks's research and robust writing style make the book absorbing. His preface to a recipe for jaban, a treat commonly found in the fez or street market, warns, "This nougat is not so hard that it pulls the fillings out of your teeth, but it is a most delicious chew." Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Although Paula Wolfert's Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco (1973) is a classic in the field, and she includes some Tunisian recipes in her recent revision of Mediterranean Cooking (LJ 10/15/94), few books, even among the recent spate of Mediterranean titles, deal in any depth with Tunisian or Moroccan food, not to mention Algerian cooking. Marks, an authority in his own right, has authored books on numerous cuisines, including The Exotic Kitchens of Indonesia (LJ 11/15/89). Here he includes more than 300 recipes from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, with separate chapters devoted to the Jewish cuisine of each country; good headnotes provide historical and culinary background for these unfamiliar, both exotic and not so exotic, dishes. A unique collection; highly recommended.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The latest book by an intrepid traveler and connoisseur presents the entire realm of cuisine from Africa's three northernmost nations. Principal sections highlight Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Each of these is divided once again, with the focus shifting to the Jewish cuisine of each country. Marks is an accomplished food guide whose extensive travels yield a cornucopia of more than 300 recipes. Not only is the region's renowned couscous featured, but the fragrant spices, lamb delicacies, ample vegetable dishes (to gratify vegetarians), and exotic sweets all contribute to an intriguing cuisine worth exploring. To cook the food may well open the door to ancient history and to culinary legacies resulting from the melding of cultures. Alice Joyce
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