Mediterranean Sauce Kitchen:
North Africa

Fava beans, slowly stewed with cumin, garlic, lemon, chile and olive oil to form a thick puree. Often served finished with a drizzle of olive oil. Bessara can also be served as a soup.

Find a Bessara recipe here.

Used as the foundation of many North African fish dishes, chermoula is a thick lemony, spiced herb marinade made with cilantro, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, coriander, paprika, cumin, chili, and olive oil. Variations can contain preserved lemons.  Chermoula can be thinned with olive oil to make a vinaigrette or sauce. Fish and vegetables can be marinated in chermoula.

Find a chermoula recipe from Food and Wine here.

Find a chermoula recipe from Serious Eats here.

Fava beans slowly cooked to a thick stew with cumin, garlic, and spices. In Egypt and Syria, Ful Medames is often served for breakfast or part of a mezze, and topped with boiled eggs, chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro.

Find Anissa Helou’s recipe for Ful Medames here.

Find a Ful Medames recipe from Serious Eats here.

A rich paste made from dried chiles, garlic, lemon, cumin, caraway, and olive oil. Harissa has a well-rounded chile flavor and a wide range of heat, depending on chiles used. Harissa can be thinned with olive oil and lemon or vinegar to make a vinaigrette or sauce, and is delicious in chickpea salad, or as a condiment with proteins.

Find a Harissa recipe from NPR here.

Find a Harissa recipe from Eat, Drink and Think here.

A fresh bright mixture of grated tomatoes, capers, green onions, chile, coriander, caraway, parsley, garlic, vinegar, and olive oil. Often served with seafood or vegetables.

Find a Kerkannaise Sauce recipe from Food and Wine here.

Smoky roasted eggplant and tomato dip seasoned with garlic, cumin, cilantro, lemon, paprika and olive oil. Often served as part of mezze.

Find Paula Wolfert’s Zaalouk recipe here.