Spiced beef strips sun-dried and then confited in fat and kept in jars. It is a pre-refrigeration way to keep the Eid al-Adha meat: strips are marinated, dried on Fez and Meknes rooftops, then sealed under their own fat.
It is raw meat dried in open Moroccan heat and then stored submerged in fat at ambient temperature — an anaerobic store, which is the classic botulism setting, and it works only if the drying reaches a dryness a damp kitchen cannot.
What goes into it
- beef or lamb, cut in long strips
- coarse salt
- garlic, coriander and cumin
- olive oil and the animal’s rendered fat
How it is made
Strips are rubbed with salt, garlic and spices and left a day, then hung on rooftop lines in the dry heat for several days until leathery. They are then simmered slowly in a mixture of their own fat and olive oil until fully cooked, and packed into jars submerged in that fat, which excludes the air.
How long it takes: several days of drying, then simmering; keeps months under fat
How it is eaten
Lifted from the jar and fried with eggs, or cut into tagines, couscous and lentils.
History
A pre-refrigeration way to keep the Eid al-Adha meat: strips are marinated, dried on Fez and Meknes rooftops, then sealed under their own fat.
Frequently asked questions
What is Khlii?
Khlii is a charcuterie & cured from Morocco: spiced beef strips sun-dried then confited in fat and kept in jars. A pre-refrigeration way to keep the Eid al-Adha meat: strips are marinated, dried on Fez and Meknes rooftops, then sealed under their own fat.
How is Khlii made?
Strips are rubbed with salt, garlic and spices and left a day, then hung on rooftop lines in the dry heat for several days until leathery. They are then simmered slowly in a mixture of their own fat and olive oil until fully cooked, and packed into jars submerged in that fat, which excludes the air. It takes several days of drying, then simmering; keeps months under fat.
Can I make Khlii at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is raw meat dried in open Moroccan heat and then stored submerged in fat at ambient temperature — an anaerobic store, which is the classic botulism setting, and it works only if the drying reaches a dryness a damp kitchen cannot.
What goes into Khlii?
Beef or lamb, cut in long strips, coarse salt, garlic, coriander and cumin, olive oil and the animal’s rendered fat.
How is Khlii eaten?
Lifted from the jar and fried with eggs, or cut into tagines, couscous and lentils.
