Tanjia
This meat dish undergoes a slow-cooking process within the embers used to heat traditional Moroccan bathhouses.
Similar to the iconic Moroccan tagine, tanjia encompasses both a culinary delight and the vessel in which it is cooked. While tagine typically simmers over charcoal or a wood fire, tanjia distinguishes itself by relying on the gentle heat of smoldering ashes. This method demands a longer preparation time but rewards with meat so exquisitely tender it practically melts in the mouth.
Traditionally, beef and lamb take center stage, yet virtually any type of meat can be utilized. Tail, neck, leg, and trotter are particularly prized for their contribution of gelatin and fat, which are integral to the cooking process. Infused with saffron, cumin, preserved lemons, garlic, and occasionally sweet accents like honey and dried fruit, the meat is then bathed in a mix of water, olive oil, and smen—a local delicacy of fermented, salted butter. Left to gradually braise in its own juices, a process akin to confit, the meat is sometimes accompanied by onions and potatoes.
While Marrakesh is often synonymous with tanjia, numerous cities boasting vibrant trading and artisan communities have their own rendition. Workers typically procure a tanjia from the butcher and transport it to communal ovens housed within public bathhouses, known as hammams. There, the oven overseer, or fernatchi, carefully nestles the tanjia within the smoldering ashes, allowing it to cook slowly overnight or from early morning until lunchtime. At midday, laborers are greeted with an urn brimming with succulent meat, which they enjoy alongside baskets of fresh bread and glasses of invigorating mint tea.
Due to the meticulous nesting process that culminates in a perfect pot of nourishment, Moroccans affectionately refer to tanjia as bent r’mad, or the "daughter of ashes."
Here's a twist on a classic Marrakech dish, the tanjia. While traditionally made with lamb, you can easily swap it for beef or even camel. Feel free to get creative with additions like apricots, almonds, or different veggies. Don't worry if you don't have access to a tanjia or a hammam oven; a slow cooker or a low-temperature oven will do the trick. You won't need to cook it for the full 6 hours if you're using a regular oven.
FOR 2 SERVINGS:
- - 1kg lamb on the bone
- - 1 large onion, chunked
- - 1/2 preserved lemon, pulp removed
- - Small head of garlic
- - Salt and pepper
- - 1 tbsp ground cumin
- - 1 tbsp ras el hanout
- - 1 tbsp saffron threads, loosely packed
- - 5 bay leaves
- - Half a small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
- - Half a small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
- - Small piece of fresh ginger or a small red chili
- - 200ml water
- - 100ml good quality olive oil
Combine all the ingredients in a tanjia or a suitable cooking pot for slow cooking. Seal the top with foil and cook in a hammam oven or in a slow cooker/low oven for several hours until tender. Enjoy the fragrant flavors of Marrakech!