In yesterday’s post the cover of a recent book published in Yemen was featured. This book is a pictorial introduction to the art of traditional cooking in rural Yemen. It was published in 2008 by the Center for Heritage of Sanaa University. The picture on yesterday’s cover was of a Yemeni woman preparing to bake bread. The steps above illustrate the preparation and baking of round barley bread, known as malûj in Yemen’s central highlands. The bread dough is formed into a ball and then stretched out with a makhbaza (see below) to a flat found shape that can be patted to the sides of the tannûr oven. The taste is hard to describe, since it is almost impossible to find pure barley bread in America. It is a hard, crisp bread and tough to break apart, but goes well with a variety of traditional stews.

to be continued