Ma'amoul is usually made during the holidays of Easter, and a few days before Eid (then stored to be served with Arabic coffee and chocolate to guests who come during the holiday).[1][2] It is popular throughout the Arab world,[3] especially in the Arabian peninsula.[4]
They may be in the shape of balls, domed or flattened cookies. They can either be decorated by hand or be made in special wooden moulds called tabe.[5]
Variations
The cookies can be filled with nuts (commonly used nuts are pistachios, almonds or walnuts) or dried fruits, most commonly orange-scented date paste.[6]
In Turkey, maamouls are referred to as Kombe and the filling usually consists of crushed walnuts, ginger and cinnamon.[7]
Etymology
The Arabic word (معمولmaʿmūl[mæʕˈmuːl]) is derived from the Arabic verb ʿamala (عمل, meaning "to do").[8]
Customs
While ma'amoul are consumed all-year long, they are most associated with Eid Al-Fitr or iftar as meals in celebration for the ending of Ramadan's fasting.[9] For Christian Arabs as well, ma'amoul is also part of the Easter celebrations.[5]
^Ṭalbi-Ḳadmi, Raḥel (1996). Rasheliḳah = Rashelika : niḥoaḥ ha-miṭbaḥ ha-Yerushalmi Sefaradi ha-mesorati : ḥamishah dorot shel matkonim mishpaḥtiyim mesoratiyim רשליקה = Rashelika : ניחוח המטבח הירושלמי ספרדי המסורתי : חמישה דורות של מתכונים משפחתיים מסורתיים [Rashelika: the aroma of the traditional Spanish Jerusalem kitchen: five generations of traditional family recipes]. Jerusalem: O. Raikh, Y. Ḳadmi. pp. 82–87. LCCN98825100.
Further reading
Farah, Madelain, Lebanese Cuisine: More than 200 Simple, Delicious, Authentic Recipes: London: 2001 ISBN978-1-56858-179-8
Smouha, Patricia, Middle Eastern Cooking, London 1955 ASIN: B0000CJAHX
Roden, Claudia, A New Book of Middle Eastern Food: London 1986 ISBN0-14-046588-X
Roden, Claudia, The Book of Jewish Food: New York 1997, London 1999 ISBN0-14-046609-6
Uvezian, Sonia, Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen: A Culinary Journey Through Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan: 2004 ISBN0-9709716-8-0, ISBN978-0-9709716-8-5
Joan Nathan, The Jewish Holiday Kitchen: New York 1988 ISBN0-8052-0900-X