Monday, July 23, 2012

My Last Ramadan and Making Chabekia

RAMADAN
Eat, eat eat, drink,drink,drink.  This years Ramadan started on Saturday.  It will be my last before I leave in October for home.  In preparation we had a seminar for the Boumia women at the rug school on making Chebeckia, which is a traditional treat made during Ramadan.  You see mounds of it in the markets a week before the holiday.  Everyone has some for the first Break Fast meat on Saturday.  Some is much better than others.  A well made Chebeckia can cost 50 DH a kilo.
The class at the rug school was well received.
You start with a dough, roll it out then hand shape it into an oval flower looking piece.




There is a real trick to making the little chabeckies.  I did not do so good and ended up with a ball of dough.  Practice makes perfect.  We made trays full of the little dough things.  After all the dough was formed the oil was boiled and the chabeckies dropped into the oil.  In a second bowl is the Native honey spiced with cinnamon bark and fruit then sifted to remove the solids.  After frying the Checkies are dropped into the honey mixture and allowed to soak.


After soaking in the honey, the pieces are drained, paced on a plate and sprinkled with sesame seeds.  Let stand for a couple minutes to cool off then it is time to eat. 
WOW are they good.  Sweet but tasty.

Back to Fitur, First Meal, everything starts with a date.  You eat one date then you can dig in.


Our meal included Fruit juice, figs, dates, nuts, eggs, a pancake like item, hobst, dates, tea, coffee, a triangular eggroll like treat, harerra soup. 
Everything was awesome and I look forward to my next invite.
Fun was had by all.  Bishmeala