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FoodEatingDue to the belief that darkness waits at the left hand to tempt the unwary, Zuberi never eat with their left hand unless they are unable to from loss of limb or disability. In which case they wear a blue bracelet which indicates a local hakima or sha'ir has blessed the left hand, relieving it of its customary stigma. StaplesZuberi food is dominated by a number of staple items. Apart from water these have to have certain characteristics. They have to be self mobile or at least economical to carry. They have to be readily preserved in the harsh dry climate which ranged from almost freezing at night to over 100 degrees in the shade during peak sunlight hours. Apart from stock and their milk products the staple items were dates, wheat and rice, flour and samn (clarified butter). Dates, tamr, are of prime importance to survival in the desert. They are an ideal food, readily obtainable as they grow in all the oases, non-perishable, easy to consume, economical to transport, provide excellent nutrition as a balance to the other main dietary constituents and are relatively cheap. Dates were also fodder for camels on a regular basis. For a few months of the year during the date harvest, the fresh dates from the oases provided a welcome alternative to the usual fare of dried dates. Ba-theeth, a preserve of parched flour, dried dates and samn, heated together and kneaded into a solid mass was prepared for use on journeys. It had excellent keeping qualities and did not require any further cooking. Wheat is grown in Zuben in the marginal land where enough rain will fall or collect to grow the crop. Wheat was cooked in a variety of ways including harees, a dish with the consistency of porridge but little of the appeal! Wheat was ground to flour for bread, hand querns were a possession of larger
Shaula groups. Barley meal is also used as a bread ingredient and millet was
grown in some oases although considered fit only for invalids. One dessert
plant, samhh, yielded grain which could be used for bread, porridge or a version
of ba-theeth. Yoghourt, leban, is also prepared and is drained and salted to make a sun-dried food for storage, mereesy or jamid. Initially like a cheese, the drained yoghourt eventually becomes rock hard and well deserves its description as "milk shards". It is reconstituted by pounding in a mortar and mixing with water or sieving into hot water. As a travelers food it could be gnawed in its natural state. ShaulaLight breakfasts and occasional impromptu meals of game or for hospitality during the day are not unheard of but the main meal was usually taken at the end of the day, after the evening milking. Shaula culinary requirements ranged from the need to sustain a small group traveling independently, probably with grazing flocks, to the provision for large tribal groups who might be settled in one area for several weeks. Access to fresh provisions might be close at hand in a nearby oasis or could be several days march away. Thus bread, 'abud, which was a staple, would be the simple mixing of flour with precious water from the water skin (girbeh) to prepare dough to be cooked in the embers of the fire for wandering herdsmen. In a tribal encampment large quantities of shirak or rukak (thin unleavened bread) would be prepared and cooked on a saj (convex metal sheet), over a fire. Small game was simply thrown on the fire to cook in its fur and was eaten in its entirety. On the other hand a butchered beast for a feast in a large camp would be cooked in a jidda or qidr (large stewpot) to be served with wheat or rice and liberally drenched with rendered animal fat or molten butter (samn). Wheat is more prevalent and seems to have been replaced by rice as the latter became more readily available through trade with other cultures. Cooking utensils were simple and robust. The jidda, made of tinned copper,
came in a variety of sizes, large specimens were required to cook for feasts. It
was accompanied by a shallow dish, sahen, for serving food. Wooden bowls and
serving dishes were also used. Coffee making required its own utensils described
below. With food resources at a premium there was little prospect of regular meals, one meal a day would be adequate and no meal was a common occurence, perhaps a few dry dates and some camel milk sufficing. A Shaula herdsman could survive during the spring grazing, rabia, with the very barest of possessions. DrinksCoffee, Gahwa, is the prime social drink. The ring of coffee pestle on the mortar as the freshly roasted beans were crushed was the signal for men to gather at the coffee tent for the exchange of news and recounting of stories. Guests were received by the host who would frequently prepare the coffee himself. Coffee is always freshly roasted in a mahmas (roasting spoon) stirred with a maqlab. The roast beans are cooled in a mabradah, a wooden tray. They were brayed in a mihbash or nijir made of wood, iron or brass. In some Zuberi families the coffee was brewed in a dedicated pot made of clay, medlah. It would be transferred to the classic beaked Arabian coffee pot of tinned copper or brass, dalla and served in small ceramic cups, finjeyn. It was often flavored with cardamom. Serving: Gahwa -- Zuberi coffee-- The Gahwa ritual starts when the host places a set of four coffee pots, called della, next to an open fire. He pours the coffee beans onto a mahmasa, a shallow, long-handled iron pan which he holds just above the flames. He stirs the roasting beans from time to time with a yad al mahmasa, which is attached by a chain to the small pan. When the beans are cooked they are left to cool before being pulverized with a pestle in a mortar called mahbash. When pounding the beans it is necessary to strike the side of the mortar occasionally with the pestle to free the grounds from sticking together. This noise is considered music and the guests should listen carefully and show appreciation of the host's artistic expression. The largest della contains the coffee grounds from previous days, so water is poured into the second largest pot, to which the freshly ground coffee is added and then boiled over the fire. Meanwhile, the host pounds the cardamom seeds, and sometimes a pinch of saffron, in the mahbash. These spices go into the third della which is then filled with the freshly brewed coffee from the second pot and brought to the boil again. Finally the Gahwa is poured into the fourth and smallest pot ready to serve. It is always the host's privilege to serve his guests, although a servant or slave may assist by holding the tray of small, china cups without handles. He may pour himself a small cup first in order to taste it, but strict rules of etiquette are observed in the serving order. When only men are present, the most important person in the room is served first. Age takes precedence if there is some doubt as to rank. Until a few years ago men were always served before women, but today that custom is often reversed, particularly if Westerners are among the guests. The cups are only half filled, but guests may have several refills. It is polite to accept an odd number of cups -- one, three or five. When the guest has finished he should jiggle the empty cup from side to side, indicating to the host that he has had sufficient. To refuse the first round is considered not only bad manners but also an insult to the host. Gahwa is never sweetened with sugar. Instead, fresh dates are offered as the standard accompaniment to the aromatic brew. The papery-skinned fingers of fruit contain 55% natural sugar which refresh and sweeten the palate between each sip of Gahwa. The proportions of coffee and cardamom in recipes for making Gahwa varies considerably from region to region. The caravan drivers offers their passengers a blend made from 25 grams of ground Zuberi coffee, 35 grams of crushed cardamom and 1 litre of water. To be served a cup of this unique beverage is more than just refreshment, it is unfailing proof that the guest is still revered and honored. In offering a cup of Gahwa the host is saying [i]Ahlan Wa Sahlan, welcome. [/i] Milk, haleeb, from camel, goat and sheep is consumed, although preference is for camel's milk. Of the three, the camel's milk was drunk whole and the other two usually after the butter had been made. There are reports of a hierarchy of Zuberi views on the relative merits of the three milk sources: "Camel milk is the best of all sustenance, and the very best is that of the bukkra, the young camel with her first calf, as lightly purgative. Ewe's milk is very sweet and fattest of all, it is unwholesome to drink whole, it kills people with colic ..... ewe buttermilk should be let sour some while in the semily (butterskin) with other milk, until all are tempered together, and then it is fit to drink. Goat milk is sweet, it fattens more than strengthens the body." Milk Tea: Shaula woman making traditional milk tea. The milk is boiled along with the tea leaves, mixing it as they go along so that the milk doesn't burn. Milk tea is one of the most important drinks to the Shaula people. Traditions for how the milk tea is spiced and serve vary from tribe to tribe.
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