Recipe for Harira (posted by Elaine)

Harira comes from the Maghreb of which Morocco is a part.  The Harira is the

national soup of Morocco.  It is eaten during the 30 days of Ramadan, along

with dates or honey sweeties. Harira can be eaten all year, but it is the

traditional breakfast at sunset for Ramadan.  During Ramadan, garlic is

forbidden and so the Harira on Ramadan contains no garlic.  

There are many recipes for harira, but they all contain beans and lentils,

tomatoes, cilantro and pasta.  It should be velvety and not thick.  Here is

one recipe for Harira:

Ingredients :

1 cup Dried chick-peas, (garbanzo beans), soaked overnight

1 lb Stewing lamb, cut into cubes

1/2 lb Chicken wings or giblets

2 lrg Onions, peeled and chopped

2/3 cup Brown lentils

1 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp Paprika

5 1/2 pt Water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup Rice

1/4 cup Chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tbl Finely chopped celery stalks

1 lb Ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

2 tsp Tomato paste

1 x Heaped tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 x lemons

Method : 

*                       Drain the chick-peas

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=994&r=126004>  and put them in a

large soup pan with the lamb

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1184&r=126004> , chicken

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1533&r=126004> , onions

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1034&r=126004> , and lentils

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1168&r=126004> . Add the turmeric

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=704&r=126004> , cinnamon

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1513&r=126004> , and paprika

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1010&r=126004>  and pour in 5

pints of the water. Add salt

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=857&r=126004>  and pepper

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=985&r=126004> . 

* Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently for about

1 1/2 hours. Then add the rice, cilantro

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1514&r=126004> , parsley

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1005&r=126004> , celery

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1566&r=126004> , tomatoes

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=724&r=126004> , and

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=134&r=126004> tomato

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=724&r=126004>  paste. Cook for

another 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. 

* Stir the remaining 1/2 pint water slowly into the

flour <http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1348&r=126004>  to make a

smooth cream <http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1464&r=126004> , then

add this to the soup, stirring gently until the soup starts to bubble again.

* To serve, cut the lemons

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1170&r=126004>  into quarters and

serve on the side of the bowls of hot soup. 

* NOTES : This is served at sunset to break the daily

fast observed between sunrise and sunset over the 30 days of Ramadan.

Recipes vary from family to family and from region to region and it can be

made without the meat.

The soup is made in 2 phases:

1.      The boullion or bubbling phase-1.5 hours of cooking

2.      Tedouira phase-1 hour of cooking

Shall we make some harira and try it as a class?

Elaine

 

شيعي Shi’a Islam

Shi’a is taken from the phrase شيعة علي meaning “follower” or “faction of Ali”. In 632 the Islamic prophet Muhammad -محمد died and no clear successor was apparent. His followers recognized that someone was needed to continue the civil aspects of Muhammad’s activities. To this end they looked to the man who sometimes led prayer when Muhammad was indisposed. He was the person who “stood in front” -إمام. This man was Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law.

By the time of the deaths of Umar and Uthman, Muhammad’s second and Third successors, fractures in the Muslim community were becoming apparent. It was in this atmosphere of discontent that Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law Ali established himself as the caliph, or leader of Islam. These four leaders became known as the “Four Rightly Guided Caliphs”-الخلفاء الراشدون. According to Shi’a Islam, Ali should have been the first successor to Muhammad. In 680 Ali’s son Ali Husain, the grandson of Muhammad, was invited to Iraq to become Caliph. He got no support, and was beseiged and killed. The date of his death, Ashura-عاشوراء, has become the most important date in the calendar of the “Partisans of Ali”.

Today there are an estimated 130-190 million Shiites and they make up 10%-15% of all Muslims. They constitute a majority in Iran and Iraq. There are also sizeable populations in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. Alawites and Druzes consider themselves Shias, although this is sometimes disputed by mainstream Shias. In Saudi Arabia Shiites are called “accaf” which means rejectors, and suffer discrimination.

The majority of Shiites in the world today are known as Twelvers. The central belief of the Twelvers is the disapperance from view of the last imam, who is also the twelfth and current imam, or Mahdi. They believe The Twelfth Imam is considered to be the only legitimate and just ruler, and therefore no political action can be taken in his absence.

The Sunnis, Short and Sweet

The Sunni branch of Islam comprises the overwhelming majority of modern-day Muslims. Four caliphates after the prophet Muhammad’s death, disagreement over his rightful successor eventually led to the Sunni-Shi’a split: on the one hand, the historical Shi’a community believed that Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali, “and his descendants as divinely authorized to rule the Muslim community” (more info); on the other hand, the Sunni community believed that succession should be determined by the people’s will. While this sectarian division marks a crucial event in Islamic history, the practice and traditions of the Sunni community coalesced gradually over the next several centuries. To summarize, the Sunni madhhab (school of thought) emphasizes the intrinsic role that religion and religious writings (the Qur’an, the hadith) play in public life and policy.

See also Sunni Islam

Hello again you all!

This semester, I am teaching Arabic II and I have only 4 students! But it is a great class and I have great students! Three of my students live here in Fairbanks, and one lives in Nenana town, which is one hour away! BUT he (Mike) is making the effort to drive to fairbanks so that we can have a face-to-face class! Isn’t that great? Thanks Mike!

In this category, I am thinking of sharing our ideas, and learn more about the Arabic Culture! So, go ahead guys, save your postings in this new category! and let’s fill it up with interesting Information!

See you tonight at Barnes & Noble!

Zeina

الحلوة دي

الحلوة دي قامت تعجن في البدريّة

The beautiful lady woke up at dawn to knead the bread

والدّيك بيذ ّن كوكوكوكو بالفجريّة

The rooster was calling coucou coucou

يا اللّه بنا على باب اللّه يا صنايعيّة

O’ skillful workers, let’s open the door to God’s treasures (an Arabic expression that means let’s go to work)

يجعل صباحك صباح الخير

May your morning be the morning of wealth

يا أسطى عطيّة

O’ Master Atiyya

—————-

صباح الصّباح، فتّاح يا عليم

والجيب ما فيهش ولا ملّيم

بس المزاج رايق و سليم

باب الأمل بابك يا رحيم

الصّبرطيّب عال

إيه غيّر الأحوال

يااللّي معاه المال

بردوالفقيرله ربّ كريم

——————–

REFRAIN

الحلوة دي قامت تعجن في البدريّة

والدّيك بيذ ّن كوكوكوكو بالفجريّة

يا اللّه بنا على باب اللّه يا صنايعيّة

يجعل صباحك صباح الخير

يا أسطى عطيّة

——————-

إيدي بيدك يا بو صلاح

مادام معمّل تعيش مرتاح

خلّي إتّكالك على الفتّاح

يااللّه بينا يااللّه الوقت أهو راح

الصّبر طيّب عال

إيه غيّرالأحوال

يا اللّي معاه المال بردو الفقير له ربّ كريم

——————–

REFRAIN

الحلوة دي قامت تعجن في البدريّة

والدّيك بيذ ّن كوكوكوكو بالفجريّة

يا اللّه بنا على باب اللّه يا صنايعيّة

يجعل صباحك صباح الخير

يا أسطى عطيّة

—-

الحلوة دي

الحلوة دي

كوكوكوكو

كوكوكوكو كو

A Valued Skill

Hello everyone from sunny California. I am doing some pre-deployment training here at Ft Hunter-Ligget. I thought these signs were interesting, and I wanted to share them. They have them everywhere down here, I guess to encorage soldiers to try and learn Arabic. Obviously it is a valued skill these days.

Arabic Learning

I am having fun learning words that I can use to form sentences and communicate. The story is going to be fun and I like how she speaks slowly. I have been trying to follow people speaking Arabic on Television and I have difficulty keeping up because they are usually speaking too fast for me.

The Second Edition

Hi all! Just wanted to throw in my two-cents on our new textbook for the semester. I’m already enjoying the layout and lessons much more than the first book, mostly because we’re getting vocabulary in the context of a full sentence. I have only worked part of the way through Unit 1, but the exercises in writing and phrase-construction are helping me reatin words better than I had in the first book. Also, the “story” sections in these chapters are much easier to follow than the “dialogues” of the first book: Maha, for example, speaks much more slowly, which really helps me pick out the words and sounds. Probably because I’m an English nerd, I’m really looking forward to getting into grammar!

Did ya know? In the first book, you can find a transcript of the dialogues printed in the back. I had no idea they were there, and I wish I would have known last semester! Would have made studying much easier.

سلطنة عُمان – The Sultanate of Oman

The Sultanate of Oman sits at the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula, and includes the Musandam Peninsula opposite the Strait of Hormuz. Officially, Oman is ruled by Sultan Qaboos ibn-Said as-Said, who ousted his own father the take the throne. But as far as Sultanates go, the nation is surprisingly liberal, even Westernized, given its long trading relationship with the British. In October of 2003, for example, all Omani men and women ages 21 and older were granted voting privileges to elect representatives to the Majlis al-Shura, a kind of “people’s advisory council” to the Sultan.

You can find more about Oman on the web! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman)

Morocco

Morocco 

Morocco is a small country lying in the northwest of Africa. It is surrounded byAlgeria on the east, the Strait of Gibraltar on the north, and the Atlantic ocean. It is slightly bigger in size than California. Its full Arabic name is Al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiya (المملكة المغربية‎) meaning “the WesternKingdom.”

Political History        

The area of Morocco has been inhabited since at least 8000 BC and has undergone a variety of cultural and political transformations throughout its history. Much of the area was originally inhabited by a group of people referred to as the Berbers. In the late Classical period, Phoenician trading colonies arrived and brought the area under the rule of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire eventually fell during the fifth century and this part of Northern Africa was taken over by the Vandals, the Visigoths (both eastern Germanic tribes) and the Byzantine Greeks. However, much of the mountainous areas of Morocco were still controlled by the Berbers.

 The Arabs invaded Northern Africa in 670 AD and eventually took over the area occupied by the Berbers after a century of fighting. Power in Morocco switched hands between a succession of Arab dynasties after that, and eventually the Berber people adopted Islamic culture and religion and formed their own dynasty that took over and once again ruled the country. This group was then overthrown by another Arab dynasty (the Saadi dynasty) who took over in the 1500s. During the mid-1600s, power was again shifted and a Muslim dynasty took over Morocco. Over the course of the 18 and 1900s, Spain,Germany and France have all had interest in the area. However, in 1912, Morocco signed a treaty with France putting it under French protection. This was unsatisfactory to many in
Morocco and they eventually won their independence from France in 1956. Today Morocco is under rule by a constitutional monarchy. It is currently a non-NATO ally and has free trade agreements with the US and the European Union. Interestingly, the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship, signed by theUS and Morocco in 1786 is still in effect today.

People and Culture

With a population of over 33 million people, Morocco is the fourth most populated Arab country. The official language in Morocco is classical Arabic but the regional dialect is Moroccan Arabic, or Darija. While Arabic is the official language, a few others also exist in the country: Berber (a type of Afro-Asiatic language) is spoken in three dialects by about 40% of the population; French is the unofficial second language of Morocco and is often used in education and business. A portion of the population in the north also speaks Spanish and the younger generations are currently being taught English in school.  Education is free and required, but this is not always enforced and the country’s illiteracy rate has stayed around 50%.

The largest ethnic groups include people of Berber descent (about three quarters of the population) and people of Arabic descent. There is small Jewish population that has dwindled over the years and some French and Spanish people have also moved there. Morocco is a Muslim country, but other religions practiced by the population include Christianity and Judaism. 

 Food in Morocco is very diverse due to the different cultural influences. Couscous (a type of grain) is a common dish along with chicken. Other dishes that are popular include pastille, a dish made with pigeon or chicken stuffed in a type of phyllo pastry. Another is a type of stew called tajine with vegetables or meat that is named after the type of pot it is cooked in. The tajine pot is made of heavy clay with a flat, circular bottom and a cone shaped dome that sits inside of the bottom while it is cooking. The cover is dome-shaped so the condensation returns to the bottom during cooking. Below is a photo of a potter making tajines.

While many Arabic countries drink coffee, a popular drink in Morocco is green tea with mint and drinking it with friends and family is an important part of the day.

Other points of interest

 Some of the main industries in Morocco are mining phosphates and tourism. However, the second largest source of income comes from Moroccans living and working abroad who transfer money back to their relatives. It is also one of the world’s largest producers of cannabis.

Sources: wikipedia, www.cia.gov