Momo Cook Book by Mourad Mazouz

This book pays homage to Mourad's (known as Momo) homeland, Morocco and his passion for its cuisine. Momo opened his London restaurant in 1997 and its presence there has put North African cuisine well and truly on the culinary map. This is a beautifully produced book. Great care has been taken in the presentation, right down to the gorgeous endpapers. The photographs capture the essence of the Maghreb and the whole effect is truly captivating.

Momo begins his book with some culinary history of his homeland, its people and their customs. Readers will be amused to find out that Maghrebis have never eaten sheep's eyes. The story goes that a party of visiting diplomats was shown the eye of the sheep they were going to feast on. It was bright and fresh indicating that the meat would be the same also. One of the diplomats mistook this act as an invitation to eat the eye, which he duly did, assuming that it was a delicacy and indeed an honour. The Arab host in turn thought that sheep's eyes were a delicacy in the Western world and they have been served to European visitors ever since. It makes a good story but as to its truthfulness, we will never know.

All the recipes that Momo has included in his book rely on ingredients that are readily available here; lots of vegetables, fruits, cereals and meat and the magical spices which turn these dishes into feasts. It is possible to adapt some of the ingredients, such as substituting quince for apple or pigeon with chicken. He has omitted recipes for rate farcie (stuffed lamb's spleen) and other delicacies that might appeal less to our palates. The British butcher doesn't do a brisk trade in chicken's feet or sheep's head. Although it does set one wondering if these recipes are written down somewhere, given that they are handed down through generations by word of mouth.

There is a comprehensive glossary of all the ingredients that the reader will come across in the pages beyond. The recipes (there are 90 of them) are divided into chapters by country, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. They provide a good cross section of traditional dishes such as tagines and briouats, sweet pastries and fragrant waters and others with a contemporary twist. The Sea Bass Fillet served on a warm tabbouleh with citrus fruit juice is delicious, as is couscous with chicken and pumpkin. All the recipes are inspirational and with the ideas for set menus at the back, it is very easy to conjure up a North African meal, which friends can share and enjoy.

This book is infectious and leaves the reader with the desire to cook North African food. Momo is essential reading if travelling to North Africa: you will travel there with a greater understanding of the food that you will come across. Alternatively, you may just want to capture some of that spice in your own kitchen.

AD.
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Publication Details:
224 pages.Photographs by Mark Luscombe-Whyte and Jean Cazals. £25
ISBN 0-684-86010-4, Published by Simon Schuster.
2000

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