Debyaza

Ingredients

Pumpkin

• 1 kgpumpkin or winter squash
• peeled and cut in chunks

Dried fruit

• 300 gdates, stoned and chopped
• 200 gdried figs, chopped
• 150 graisins
• 150 gdried apricots, chopped
• water, for soaking

Nuts

• 100 galmonds, blanched
• 100 gwalnuts, chopped
• 50 gpistachios
• 50 gsesame seeds, toasted

To cook

• 300 gsugar
• 300 mlwater
• 2 teaspoonsground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoonground cloves
• 1 teaspoonground ginger
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoonsrosewater
• or orange blossom water

Directions

1. Use a dense firm winter squash. The flesh should be deep orange and dry. Put the chopped dried fruit in a bowl. Cover it with plenty of warm water. Leave it for about one full hour. Drain it and keep the soaking water. Preparing the nuts takes a moment. Pour boiling water over the almonds. The skins slip off after a few minutes.
2. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan. Give them about three minutes until golden. Shake the pan constantly as they toast. Chop the walnuts roughly by hand. Put the pumpkin chunks in a heavy pot.
3. Add the water and the sugar to it. Bring the whole pot to a simmer. Let it cook for about twenty-five minutes. The pumpkin should be completely soft.
4. Break it down with the back of a spoon. It should collapse into a rough puree. Add the soaked dried fruit to the pot. Add the reserved soaking water. Add the cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Stir it all together thoroughly.
5. Bring it back to a gentle simmer. Cooking it down takes real patience. Let it cook for about an hour. Stir it every five minutes without fail. Judging when it is done is the whole skill.
6. Stir in the almonds, walnuts and pistachios. Add them for the last ten minutes only. Long cooking makes nuts soft and dull. Stir in most of the toasted sesame. Finishing it is done off the heat. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Squeeze in the juice of the lemon. Stir in the rosewater at the end.
7. Add it off the heat so it does not evaporate. Taste it and adjust the lemon. It should be sweet with a clear edge behind it. Spoon it into clean jars while warm. Let it cool and then seal them. It keeps three weeks in a cool place. Spoon a little into each dish. Scatter the remaining sesame over it.

Technique

• Saudi Arabia makes an Eid sweet called debyazah, the same word in a different spelling, but the Hijazi dish is built on dried apricot where the Libyan one is built on pumpkin.
• The high sugar content and long reduction make it a preserve, which is why it can be cooked days before Eid and served to visitors throughout the holiday.
• The rosewater goes in off the heat, since its aroma evaporates in a hot pot.

Substitutions

• Any dense winter squash works, and watery carving pumpkins should be avoided.
• Orange blossom water can replace rosewater for a different perfume.

Variations

• Households vary the dried fruit according to what is in the store.
• Some cooks add a little butter or ghee at the end for gloss.
• Debyazah in the Hijaz is the related Eid sweet made with dried apricot.

History

Made for Eid al-Fitr in Libyan households, cooked in quantity and kept to serve visitors through the holiday.

Frequently asked questions

What is Debyaza?

Debyaza is a dessert from Libya: pumpkin cooked down with dates, dried fruit, nuts and spices into a thick preserve. Made for Eid al-Fitr in Libyan households, cooked in quantity and kept to serve visitors through the holiday.

How long does Debyaza take to make?

Debyaza takes 45 minutes plus soaking of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 1.5 kg. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Debyaza?

Yes, within limits. Any dense winter squash works, and watery carving pumpkins should be avoided. Orange blossom water can replace rosewater for a different perfume.

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

Add the water and the sugar to it. Bring the whole pot to a simmer. Let it cook for about twenty-five minutes. The pumpkin should be completely soft.