Tamina

Ingredients

• 500 gfine or medium semolina
• 250 gunsalted butter, or 200 g smen
• 300 gmild honey, gently warmed
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 1 pinchsalt
• 1 tbsporange-flower water (optional)

To decorate

• 2 tbspground cinnamon, for dusting
• blanched almonds or walnut halves
• icing sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Toast the semolina dry in a wide heavy pan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Keep the grains moving the whole time; semolina scorches in seconds if it sits still, and burnt grains make the whole batch bitter.
3. Watch for the colour to move from pale cream to an even hazelnut brown, and for the smell to turn nutty and biscuity. That aroma, not a clock, is what tells you it is done.
4. Tip the toasted semolina into a bowl to stop the cooking, since it will keep browning in a hot pan.
5. Melt the butter in the same pan over low heat until it foams, then let it cook a further 2 minutes until it smells nutty, and pour it over the semolina.
6. Stir in the salt, then the warm honey and the orange-flower water, working quickly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a thick, glossy, sandy paste.
7. Taste and adjust the honey; tamina should be rich and sweet but still taste clearly of toasted grain.
8. Press it firmly into a shallow dish or shape it into a mound on a plate while still warm, smoothing the top with the back of a wet spoon.
9. Dust the whole surface thickly with cinnamon, press almonds or walnut halves in a pattern over the top, and cool to room temperature before cutting into small squares or scooping with a spoon. It keeps two weeks in a covered dish.

Technique

• The toasting is the entire recipe. Underdone and it tastes of raw flour, over-toasted and it is acrid, so use a low heat and accept the twenty-odd minutes of stirring.
• Honey is stirred in off the direct heat and while merely warm. Boiling honey turns harsh and loses its perfume.
• Tamina is made to celebrate the birth of a child and is offered to visitors who come to see the baby, as well as for Mawlid; it is rich enough to be eaten in very small quantities.

Substitutions

• Smen gives the authentic aged, faintly cheesy depth; ghee is the closest substitute and plain butter the mildest option.
• A syrup of 250 g sugar boiled with 100 ml water can replace the honey, which is what some households do, giving a plainer sweet.

Variations

• Rfiss is the closely related dish where the toasted semolina is mixed with crumbled kesra and dates.
• A Kabyle version replaces some of the honey with date syrup.
• Some families work ground toasted almonds or sesame into the paste.

History

Toasted semolina bound with butter and honey, prepared to celebrate a birth and for Mawlid, and offered to visitors who come to greet a newborn.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tamina?

Tamina is a dessert from Algeria: toasted semolina bound with butter and honey, made to celebrate births. Toasted semolina bound with butter and honey, prepared to celebrate a birth and for Mawlid, and offered to visitors who come to greet a newborn.

How long does Tamina take to make?

Tamina takes 10 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 to 10 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Tamina?

Yes, within limits. Smen gives the authentic aged, faintly cheesy depth; ghee is the closest substitute and plain butter the mildest option. A syrup of 250 g sugar boiled with 100 ml water can replace the honey, which is what some households do, giving a plainer sweet.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tamina?

Keep the grains moving the whole time; semolina scorches in seconds if it sits still, and burnt grains make the whole batch bitter.