Moroccans Bring their Food to Israel

While in Hof Ashkelon I spent several hours with Tami (short for Tamar) and her family.  Her husband Yaron, their two boys and her sister added to the fun of making Moroccan fish and frenna.

Moroccan Jews came to Israel in large waves in the 1950's, the majority coming in 1955-1956.  Prior to those years Moroccan Jews numbered over 250,000; now there are fewer than 5,000 there.  Moroccan Jews are now the second largest Jewish community in Israel.  

In 1948, the same year as Israel gained its independence, Moroccan Jews began to come to Israel.  That year violence erupted in Morocco against the Jews resulting in 44 deaths.  Life for the Moroccan Jews deteriorated as Morocco moved closer to independence.  There was a great deal of uncertainty and threat - deaths, attacks, disappearances, seizure of property.    Between 1956 and 1961 30,000 Moroccan Jews made their way to Israel; people fled and left their homes, their businesses, their belongings in order to quickly and often secretly leave Morocco.

There is not a lot written on the plight and flight of the Jews from Arab countries including Yemen, Iraq, Egypt , whose experiences mirrored that of Moroccan Jews. This article from the Jerusalem Post describes the experience of one woman who came to Israel from Morocco as a child.  Also, watch this fascinating documentary, The Forgotten Refugees, which tells the story of the mass exodus of close to 1 million Jews from Arab countries. It is accessible on YouTube.

Tami's parents came to Israel in 1955 with a large Moroccan contingent and settled in a moshav (village) near Kiryat Malachi, one of the two Partnership communities described previously.   Tami was born in Israel and grew up in the same moshav.   Yaron's parents came from Tunisia in 1951 and lived in Kiryat Malachi.

The recipes and dishes that Tami and Yaron prepared are different from those I've seen in the past.  As we were within the 9 days, we prepared a unique fish recipe.  At the end of the meal, Tami made "sphinge", a fried donut similar to sufganyot which is prepared on Hanukkah by members of the Sephardic communities.  Sorry - no recipe for the sphinge.

Moroccan Fish

1 kg fish fillet cut in serving sizes

juice of 2 fresh lemons (about ⅓ C)

2 medium potatoes - peeled and sliced

2 red and/or yellow peppers - sliced in rounds

1 hot green pepper - seeded and sliced thinly

1 tomato - sliced thinly

1 head garlic – ½ sliced, ½ crushed

1 small bunch cilantro cut into pieces about 2 inches long

3 dried red peppers or ½ tsp crushed dried red pepper

½ C olive oil

2 T sweet paprika

1 T turmeric

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp salt

Let the fish sit in fresh lemon juice for 1-2 hours before preparation.

Lightly oil the bottom of a medium pot. Lay the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pot. Then follow with sliced tomatoes, red/yellow peppers and hot pepper.  Carefully lay the fish on top of the vegetables.

Mix spices and oil together in a small bowl 

Just before cooking

Sprinkle all of the garlic and cilantro over the fish, carefully add water just to the level of fish then pour spices over the top of the fish. Cover and cook on med hi until it comes to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 20-25 minutes.  Partially uncover for the last 5 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken.  

Serve fish and vegetables together with sauce.

Finished Fish

Frenna (Moroccan pita)

1 kg flour

3T yeast

large pinch of salt

¼ C sugar

1 egg

¼ C canola oil

Risen dough

Using your hands, mix the first four ingredients together until fully combined. When finished, sprinkle a little flour under the dough ball to keep it from sticking.  Cover and let it rise to double the size.  Knead well, cover and let rise again. Knead again for the 2^nd time and let rise again.

Squeeze into baseball sized balls

Flatten with oil on your hands

When it has risen the third time, squeeze the dough into baseball size balls.  Put some oil in your hand and flatten gently to pita size.  Be sure both sides have been covered with oil.

They taste as good as they look

Paint egg on one side and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place under broiler*, watching carefully. Turn over when top turns brown and broil 2nd side until brown. Take out and cool.  

*If you have an electric broiler pan that works well for this recipe. 

Sphinge