Since Mauritania one of the poorest nations in the world, I didn’t expect much from its cuisine and in fact I was able to find only a handful of Mauritanian recipes. Finally, I decided to make Thieboudiene — a one pot dish of rice, fish and vegetables and green tea with mint.
| Thieboudiene – fish-and-rice one-pot dish |
My guys were a little surprised  that there was going to be only one dish for Mauritania but when they tried it they were really satisfied with it. And why not? It is definitely a type of comfort food – warm, hearty, rich and delicious. Alex couldn’t leave the dinner table until he finally asked me to remove the leftovers of Thieboudiene because he couldn’t stop eating it. I love my husband because he appreciates everything I cook! Well, I love him for more than just that. :)I tried to be true to the recipe but nevertheless had to make a couple of adjustments. I used steelhead trout for my choice of fish (which I’m sure is not a type of fish Mauritanians use) and I omitted okra (since I forgot to buy it). |
| Green Tea with Mint |
Most internet sources about Mauritanian cuisine mention drinking green tea as a traditional and even ceremonial activity. I found a nice writing about north African tea ceremonies. Of course it is not really possible to make this tea fully authentically without following the specific techniques and processes the Mauritanians use but I just don’t have the time to indulge in the ceremony. Usually the tea is offered to guests in three ceremonial rounds. With each round, more mint and sugar are added.Ingredients
Put tea leafs in a teapot. Bring water to boil and add to the teapot. Add some mint. Allow tea to steep for 2 minutes. Serve the first round (I would let guests add sugar according to their taste). Add more mint and steep for an additional minute. Serve the second round. Add even more mint and steep again. Serve the third round. |