FOOD NEWS
Eid Al-Fitr Mornings Begin With The Sweet L'Assida In Morocco
BY KYLE GRACE MILLS
Moroccan Muslims start off Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday at the end of Ramadan, with a morning feast. The centerpiece is often a bowl of slightly sweet, decadent L'Assida.
Said to be the favorite dish of the Prophet Muhammad, L'Assida is like a porridge made of boiled couscous, sweetened with honey, lightly spiced, and enriched with butter.
More complicated versions of L'Assida are artfully bejeweled with carefully-arranged dried fruit and nuts, like pistachios and golden dates.
To make your own L'Assida, add one part couscous to four parts boiling water and cook it for about 20 minutes. The mixture should thicken, soften, and become gelatinous.
Once the boiled couscous turns into a sticky porridge, dot the creamy white surface with butter and honey. You can make it even more decadent with toppings.
Chopped pistachios, almonds, pecans, dried dates, raisins, or cherries can be arranged like jewels in a crown for a stunning bowl of L'Assida.
Moroccan L'Assida is distinctly made with fine-grind semolina couscous. Other versions, like those from Tunisia, are made with ground zgougou (Aleppo pine nuts).