Maamoul: Ancient delight with modern health benefits
Maamoul, cookies filled with delicious blends of dates, walnuts, or pistachios, have been enjoyed since ancient Egypt. Today, they remain a fundamental part of Arabic cuisine. While their name might sound exotic, making them is not overly complicated.
The cookies are consumed throughout the Arab world. Syrians, Jordanians, and Lebanese call them maamoul, Turks refer to them as kombe, and Egyptians know them as kahk. The Egyptian version is the prototype of today's pastries, gaining popularity in the land of the pharaohs, as seen in ancient paintings and sculptures.
Maamoul often takes a pyramid shape, though the filling largely dictates their form. Dome-shaped cookies typically contain nuts, round ones have date filling, and elongated ones are filled with pistachios. The first type is sometimes dusted with powdered sugar, while the others don't require extra sweetness. The filling is often enhanced with spices, date and pistachio fillings with cinnamon, and nut fillings with cloves and cardamom.
In Arab countries, maamoul is prepared for various holidays and family celebrations. However, many families enjoy them daily as a complement to coffee or tea.
The cookies are shaped using a traditional wooden mold called a tabbeh, which can be purchased online or at stores specializing in Middle Eastern products.
Semolina – Nutritional values
Traditionalists insist that only semolina, a flour made from ground durum wheat grains, should be used to prepare maamoul. However, regular wheat flour is often added today to improve the consistency of the pastries.
Semolina offers a substantial dose of valuable micronutrients, notably potassium (which maintains proper blood pressure and regulates the body's water balance as an electrolyte component), phosphorus (crucial for healthy and strong bones and teeth, and proper nervous system function), magnesium (which strengthens muscles and enhances well-being), and calcium, necessary not only for bones, teeth, and muscles but also to ensure proper blood clotting, healthy sleep, and a good mood.
Durum wheat flour is also rich in B vitamins and folic acid, essential especially for pregnant women because it helps prevent fetal developmental defects. The product contains a significant amount of lutein, a natural plant pigment that protects eyes from cataracts or macular degeneration, filters harmful "blue light," and aids in preventing circulatory system diseases and lung cancer.
Maamoul – How to make it
Sift semolina (2 cups) and wheat flour (1/4 cup) into a large bowl, and add sugar (1/4 cup), instant yeast (1 teaspoon), and a pinch of salt. Then, add melted and cooled clarified butter (1/4 cup), 4 teaspoons of rose water, and 1/4 cup of water. Mix and knead by hand until a smooth mass is obtained. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for three hours.
Divide the dough into 24 pieces the size of golf balls. Form them into balls, place on plastic wrap, and flatten with a rolling pin to a thickness of approximately 1/8 inch.
Prepare the fillings: For the date filling, blend 10 ounces of dates into a paste, 1 tablespoon of rose water, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. For the nut filling, blend 2 cups of finely chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of rose water, and a pinch of cardamom.
If forming the cookies by hand, place a tablespoon of the chosen filling in the center, fold, seal the edges, and gently shape them into a round or elongated form. When using a tabbeh mold, transfer the dough into it, add the filling, cover with more dough, and remove by tapping the mold on the table.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them. Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, until the bottoms turn golden (the tops should remain pale).
