A 10th century Middle Eastern chicken dish from al-Warraq’s cookbook.
A fowl is taken, roasted, jointed and thrown in a jar into which are put coriander, pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Verjus is added, and mint, tarragon and fresh thyme are cut over it, and good oil is poured over it. Fresh spices are minced onto it, and it is decorated with chopped cucumber. – Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq’s Tenth-Century Baghdadi Cookbook, translated and annotated by Nawal Nasrallah
My Redaction
I used this barida as a chicken salad so my version is not served on the bone as the original seems to be.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken, roasted
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon coriander, coarse ground
- 3/4 teaspoon long pepper, coarse ground
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, coarse ground
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 1/2 cup verjus or 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cup of fresh herbs chopped, I used mint, thyme, cilantro and parsley
- 1/2-3/4 cup sesame oil (not roasted)
- 1 cucumber english cucumber, chopped / if not english then cucumber should be seeded
- salt to taste
Method
- Once your chicken is roasted and cooled, remove the meat from the bones.
- Chop the meat into a small dice.
- In a bowl add your chopped meat and the ground spices and mix to distribute the spices evenly.
- Next pour in your verjus or vinegar and lemon juice, the sesame oil, and add the chopped herbs. Mix well to coat with the oil and verjus and to distribute the herbs.
- Cover and let rest for an hour to allow the flavors to develop.
- Taste and add salt as desired.
- When ready to serve add chopped cucumbers.
This was served cold with flat bread.
Sources
Annals of the Caliphs’ Kitchens: Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq’s Tenth-Century Baghdadi Cookbook translated and annotated by Nawal NasrallahBrill, Leiden, Netherlands: December 2007. ISBN 9004158677