flipSmen (fermented preserved butter)
Smen (fermented preserved butter)
Why this dish? In a medina without refrigeration, preserving fat was vital: smen, butter long salted and fermented, flavored couscous and tagines year-round in the Fassi home. It embodies the domestic art of storage, that patient economy Laâbi witnessed in the kitchen of his childhood.
Clarified butter, salted and perfumed with herbs, left to ferment away from light for weeks, sometimes years. Its powerful, almost cheesy flavor marks great Moroccan dishes.
Smen is not made for tomorrow; it is made for the years. My grandmother buried her jar of salted butter in a cool, dark corner, and the older it got, the more valuable it became — we saved it for births and weddings. A single spoon awakens an entire couscous; some find it too strong, but it is the very taste of passing time. Do not fear its scent: it is that of memory.
- •Fresh butter (churned) — a pat (base)
- •Salt — generous (preservation)
- •Dried oregano or thyme — a handful (flavor)
Smen (fermented preserved butter)
Clarified butter, salted and perfumed with herbs, left to ferment away from light for weeks, sometimes years. Its powerful, almost cheesy flavor marks great Moroccan dishes.
Why this dish? In a medina without refrigeration, preserving fat was vital: smen, butter long salted and fermented, flavored couscous and tagines year-round in the Fassi home. It embodies the domestic art of storage, that patient economy Laâbi witnessed in the kitchen of his childhood.
Smen is not made for tomorrow; it is made for the years. My grandmother buried her jar of salted butter in a cool, dark corner, and the older it got, the more valuable it became — we saved it for births and weddings. A single spoon awakens an entire couscous; some find it too strong, but it is the very taste of passing time. Do not fear its scent: it is that of memory.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh butter (churned) — a pat (base)
- Salt — generous (preservation)
- Dried oregano or thyme — a handful (flavor)
Ingredients
- High-quality unsalted butter — 500 g (base)
- Salt — 2 tbsp (preservation)
- Dried oregano — 1 tbsp (flavor)
Method
- Gently melt the butter, skim and clarify by removing the whey.
- Infuse the oregano in the warm butter for a few minutes, then strain.
- Stir in the salt, pour into a scalded and thoroughly dried earthenware pot.
- Seal tightly and store away from light in a cool place; smen develops its flavor over several weeks to several months. Always use a clean, dry utensil to scoop.
How it was made : Before domestic refrigeration, smen allowed the preservation of spring fat (when milk was abundant) for the whole year. Buried or stored in jars, it could age for years and constituted a real store of value, passed down at weddings. The older it was, the more prized.
The contemporary twist : A dab of smen on warm bread with a drizzle of honey: the salty-fermented and sweet contrast always surprises modern palates.
Abdellatif Laâbi · Charactorium
