flipSalt-Cured Quail with Cumin
Salt-Cured Quail with Cumin
Why this dish? In the desert, a wind drives clouds of quail over the camp so numerous that the people gather more than they can eat (Numbers 11). To waste nothing, nomads salted and dried the surplus—here is the preservation version of this gift from heaven.
Small salted quail (or poultry) fillets, flavored with cumin and air-dried, as preserved meat. Salty, concentrated, rich in flavor: a provision that keeps for days of scarcity.
One evening, a wind from the sea drove quail over the camp in great numbers, and we had more than our hands could hold. What we did not eat that day, we split, salted, and spread in the sun and desert wind. Thus the meat kept for days of scarcity. Learn this: what heaven gives in abundance, the wise one sets aside.
- •Quail — as many as caught (meat to preserve)
- •Salt — in good quantity (preservation)
- •Cumin — a pinch (flavor)
- •Coriander seeds — a pinch (flavor)
Salt-Cured Quail with Cumin
Small salted quail (or poultry) fillets, flavored with cumin and air-dried, as preserved meat. Salty, concentrated, rich in flavor: a provision that keeps for days of scarcity.
Why this dish? In the desert, a wind drives clouds of quail over the camp so numerous that the people gather more than they can eat (Numbers 11). To waste nothing, nomads salted and dried the surplus—here is the preservation version of this gift from heaven.
One evening, a wind from the sea drove quail over the camp in great numbers, and we had more than our hands could hold. What we did not eat that day, we split, salted, and spread in the sun and desert wind. Thus the meat kept for days of scarcity. Learn this: what heaven gives in abundance, the wise one sets aside.
Ingredients (period version)
- Quail — as many as caught (meat to preserve)
- Salt — in good quantity (preservation)
- Cumin — a pinch (flavor)
- Coriander seeds — a pinch (flavor)
Ingredients
- Quail (or chicken) fillets — 400 g (meat to preserve)
- Fine salt — 60 g (salting)
- Ground cumin — 1 tsp (flavor)
- Ground coriander — 1/2 tsp (flavor)
- Olive oil — for serving (service)
Method
- Gently flatten the fillets so they dry evenly.
- Mix the salt, cumin, and coriander.
- Completely coat the meat with this mixture and let it cure in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
- Rinse quickly, pat dry thoroughly.
- Hang or place on a rack in a dry, airy place (or in the oven at 60°C, door ajar, for 4 to 6 hours) until the meat is firm.
- Slice thinly and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and unleavened bread.
How it was made : Without refrigeration, salting and drying in the dry desert air were the only ways to preserve meat. Small quail were split, heavily salted, and then left to harden in the wind. Meat treated this way could keep for weeks.
The contemporary twist : Shaved into thin slivers served as an appetizer, like "desert charcuterie" to nibble with dates.
Sources : Book of Numbers, chapter 11, verses 31-32 · Book of Exodus, chapter 16, verse 13
Moses · Charactorium