Asida

Asida ( , or Maghrebi ġsydë, ), a common dish in the Arab world, is a lump of dough made by stirring wheat flour into boiling water, sometimes with added butter or honey. Similar in texture to fufu, it is eaten mainly in Middle East and African countries. It is considered one of the best-known desserts and traditional dishes in many Arab countries. Asida is particularly common in Sudan, Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the rest of the Middle East. Often served during religious holidays such as Mawlid and Eid, it is also served during other traditional ceremonies—for example, those accompanying the birth of a child, such as the ‘aqīqah, the cutting of the hair of a newborn seven days after birth. A simple, yet rich dish, often eaten without other complementary dishes, it is traditionally served at breakfast and is also given to women in labor.

Asida ( , or Maghrebi ġsydë, ), a common dish in the Arab world, is a lump of dough made by stirring wheat flour into boiling water, sometimes with added butter or honey. Similar in texture to fufu, it is eaten mainly in Middle East and African countries. It is considered one of the best-known desserts and traditional dishes in many Arab countries. Asida is particularly common in Sudan, Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the rest of the Middle East. Often served during religious holidays such as Mawlid and Eid, it is also served during other traditional ceremonies—for example, those accompanying the birth of a child, such as the ‘aqīqah, the cutting of the hair of a newborn seven days after birth. A simple, yet rich dish, often eaten without other complementary dishes, it is traditionally served at breakfast and is also given to women in labor. ==Etymology== The name asida is derived from the Arabic root (ʿ-ṣ-d), associated with twisting or kneading. ==History== One of the earliest documented recipes for asida is found in a tenth century Arabic cookbook by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq called Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ ( , The Book of Dishes). It was described as a thick pudding of dates cooked with clarified butter (samn). A recipe for asida was also mentioned in an anonymous Hispano-Muslim cookbook dating to the 13th century. In the 13th and 14th centuries, in the mountainous region of the Rif along the Mediterranean coast of Morocco, a flour made from lightly grilled barley was used in place of wheat flour. A recipe for asida that adds argan seed oil was documented by Leo Africanus (c. 1465–1550), the Berber Muslim explorer known as Hasan al-Wazan in the muslim world. According to the French scholar Maxime Rodinson, asida were typical foods among the Bedouin of pre-Islamic and, probably, later times. ==Variations== ===Palestine=== Asida (Aseeda) is made primarily as a dessert by Palestinians. It serves as a both a comfort food and a dish to mark special occasions. The dessert version is served with honey or date syrup, and for special occasions might see the addition of sauteed nuts and cinnamon. A savory dish also called asida but consisting of stewed wheat berries with lamb is made in at least one village in Palestine at times of mourning, attesting to the uniqueness and specificity of local food customs. ==See also== List of Middle Eastern dishes Arab cuisine Berber cuisine Arab Indonesian cuisine List of puddings Kue asida ==References== ==Further reading==

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