FOOD IN MAURITANIA
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a country in northwestern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean; to the southwest is Senegal; Mali is on the east and southeast, Algeria to the northeast, and the Western Sahara to the northwest. Mauritania was named after the ancient Berber kingdom of Mauretania. It was part of French West Africa from 1860 until gaining its independence in 1960. It is sparsely populated, with about three-quarters of its land being made up of desert or semidesert. The majority of the population is of Berber, Arab, Tuareg, and Fulani descent and still lives a nomadic or seminomadic existence. However, many of these nomadic people have been driven into urban areas from long periods of drought. Almost all of the population is of the Islamic faith.
Food Culture Snapshot
Lina lives in Mauritania’s capital city, Nouakchott. Lina and her daughter, Hawa, go to the market in the Ksar. Lina must go to the market every day to buy food because little to no refrigeration is available. In the hot season, it is necessary to go to the market to buy food for each meal because food can spoil after only a few hours. Many of Mauritania’s people still rely on subsistence farming to live. Lina and Hawa live in an urban area, so most of what they consume is purchased in the market. Lina and Hawa are lucky to live in Nouakchott because they have a greater variety of items available to them than if they lived in a smaller town or village.
The market is organized in sections. Different boutiques and vendors specialize in specific products. There are separate sections where butchered meat, vegetables, fruits, bread, and housewares are available.Small grocery stores are rare but may be found in larger cities like Nouakchott. These are typically for Mauritanians who are better off or are Western expatriates. The grocery stores are unique in that their prices are fixed. In the market, people are expected to bargain for the price of the item they are buying.
Rice is a staple in the Mauritanian diet. It accompanies many dishes of fi sh, meat, and vegetables and is often mixed into stews. Mauritania’s coastline is one of the world’s richest fishing grounds, and there are many preparations of fish in the Mauritanian cuisine. Mauritanians in general prefer to eat dried fish, which is often served alongside rice. Lamb and camel meat are most often eaten. Dates are an integral part of Mauritanian cuisine because they provide both calories and minerals. They are typically eaten at the end of the meal or as a snack. Dates are available in abundance; Mauritanians consume all the dates that are grown there and do not export any.
The type of food Mauritanians eat largely depends on location and ethnic group. In the north, there is a more limited variety of foods, and the food itself is typically blander than in the south due to the influence of the nomadic Moors. The Moors relied mostly on food that traveled well and did not have to be cultivated, which limited the variety in their diet. In the north, Mauritanians eat mostly meat, rice, and couscous. In the south, they have an abundance of fish, vegetables, and some fruits—mainly due to climate. The northern part of Mauritania is dry and arid, while in the south they have the Senegal River as a water resource and higher average rainfall. This environment is much more conducive to land cultivation, which accounts for the variety of fruits and vegetables in the diets of Mauritanians living in the south.
Cooking
How one cooks in Mauritania is largely determined by where and how one lives. Nouahdibou has a higher standard of living due to higher economic development from fishing industries. Many of the better-off people in this city cook in Western-style kitchens with electric appliances and running water. In smaller, more rural areas, the kitchen may be located outside or in a separate area of the home. Often times the kitchen is merely a covered structure.
A small burner or burners, set on the ground and fueled by gas, is often the only means by which to cook. Nomads may use an open fi re to cook their food, which usually involves a tripod that has a woklike vessel hanging in the center over an open fire. Mauritanians use a lot of vegetable oil in their food preparation because it increases the calories in the meal. In addition, the high quantity of oil allows the food to be compressed so that it is easy to pick up and put in one’s mouth.
Typical Meals
The variety of dishes in Mauritania is quite limited. Typically, a family will eat the same foods for breakfast every day, and even lunch and dinner may vary little. For breakfast, people eat a porridge made of millet and served with milk and sugar. French bread and butter is also a favorite breakfast food. It is usually served between 7 and 8 a.m.
The main meal of the day varies by culture. Black Africans prefer to make lunch the main meal, whereas Arab-Berbers have their main meal in the evening. In the south, the favorite lunch item is a Senegalese dish, chubugin or chubbagin, which consists of rice and fish. It may be accompanied by vegetables such as eggplant, carrots, peppers, potatoes, and/or a green leaf called bissap. If fi sh is not available, goat or lamb may be substituted. Yassa, a simple dish of rice with onion sauce, is also popular. Lunch is usually served between 2 and 3 p.m.
Dinner is often couscous, which may be accompanied by goat or lamb. For special occasions, at dinnertime, people will have a plate of couscous with a goat’s head on top. Dinner is usually served between 8 and 10 p.m. During Ramadan, dinner may be served as late as 11 p.m.
Camel meat is a Mauritanian specialty. The following is a traditional version of the national dish.
Chubbagin
1 lb camel meat, cut into cubes (lamb may be substituted)
¾ c vegetable oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 small eggplant, cut into chunks
2 carrots, cut into chunks
1 small cabbage, cut into wedges
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1 smoked and dried fish
1 tbsp red pepper fl akes, or to taste
1 garlic clove
1 small handful hibiscus leaves
2 lb rice
1 bouillon cube
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fry the meat in the oil to brown on all sides. Add the tomato paste and a little water. Stir to coat the meat. Add the onion, and season. Cook until the onion softens, then add the other vegetables, including the garlic. Continue to cook, adding more water if necessary. Finally, fl ake the dried fish and add to the pot. Add the red pepper and hibiscus leaves. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the meat and vegetables and place in a bowl. Pour the rice into the remaining liquid, add the bouillon cube, and cook until rice is tender. Remove the rice to a serving tray, and place the meat and vegetables on top to serve.
The ritual way of eating is important in Mauritania. There are no utensils—the meal is eaten with the right hand. The left hand is forbidden by Islam since it is seen as unclean. Food is usually served in a large bowl or plate that is placed on the floor, with everyone gathering around the dish. If there are a lot of people, there may be two or three dishes. Each person has an area of the dish that is considered his to eat. One must eat only the portion of food that is directly in front of one. If a desirable piece of food is lying outside this portion, one must ask if one may have it. Others will usually oblige and place it on one’s portion of food. The meat is usually placed in the center of the dish, and the host will tear off the best pieces for visitors and guests.
The tea ceremony is very important in Mauritania. It is seen as a social event and a show of hospitality. It is believed to alleviate hunger, thirst, and fatigue. Tea is served at every meal. Green tea from China is typically consumed, or sometimes mint tea. The ritual of preparing and drinking tea can often take three hours. Three glasses of tea are usually drunk.
There are three conditions in the ceremony of making tea: ijmari— placing the teapot on the charcoal embers; jar— slowly infusing tea leaves, serving, and drinking; and jmaa —assembling people. Each glass symbolizes a different aspect of life. The first glass is strong and bitter to represent death. For the second glass of tea, the pot is set back on the fire with mint and sugar in it. The flavor of the second glass is strong and sweet, symbolizing love. The last glass is a combination of the fi rst two and is meant to symbolize life.
The actual act of serving the tea is also quite timeconsuming and symbolic. The amount of foam in one’s glass is indicative of how welcomed one is by the person who is preparing the tea. If there is a lot of foam—perhaps half the glass—one is welcomed, and the host greatly enjoys one’s company. Very little or no foam means that the host is merely serving the tea to the guest as a hospitable, moral obligation. The foam is created by pouring the tea from one glass to another, often holding the glasses far apart and letting the tea cascade down into the glass. Foam in the tea is important because it takes time and care to produce it, showing that the host enjoys one’s company.
Eating Out
In Mauritania, eating mostly takes place in the home. That being said, there are restaurants of many ethnicities such as Moroccan, Lebanese, Chinese, and French located in the larger cities like Nouakchott. Foreign cuisines generally dominate the restaurant scene in the larger cities. Local cuisine like lamb, goat, and rice is available at restaurants throughout the country. Restaurants have improved in recent years due to better distribution of food. A typical meal may cost US$7 to $10. Eating on the street is also popular. One can buy nuts, fritters or donuts, cooked meats, and tea.
Special Occasions
Festivals are celebrated all over Mauritania. Many of them are religious celebrations, such as the New Year, as well as more secular festivities like Independence Day. Often the feasts at these celebrations include a whole roasted goat or lamb. Sometimes, the head of the goat is roasted whole and served on top of couscous.
Animal sacrifice is a food custom that often takes place at ceremonial occasions. At the end of Ramadan, a married man is expected to off er a lamb. The meat of the lamb must be eaten within three days. It is also traditional to off er an animal on occasions like name-giving, initiation, marriage, and funeral ceremonies.
Religion influences Mauritanian dietary practices in many ways. Almost all Mauritanians are Sunni Muslims. Sunni is the largest denomination of Islam and means the words, actions, or example of the Prophet Muhammad. Mauritanians consume only halal food, which Islamic law dictates is the only food that is permissible to eat. Halal meat must be slaughtered in the way set out by Islamic law. The animal must be killed quickly, with the knife slitting the throat while a prayer is said and the name of Allah is spoken. The Quran explicitly forbids the consumption of the following foods: pork; blood; carnivorous birds of prey; animals slaughtered to anyone other than the name of Allah; carrion; an animal that has been strangled, beaten (to death), killed by a fall, gored (to death), or savaged by a beast of prey; fi sh that have died out of water; food over which Allah’s name is not pronounced; and alcohol.
In Mauritania, the cultural ideal of beauty encourages young women to eat foods high in fat so that they gain weight. A person who is overweight by Western standards is instead considered beautiful in Mauritania. This practice is slowly diminishing as the infl uence of Western culture through television shows and movies takes eff ect.
By Annie Goldberg in the book 'Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia'- Ken Albala, Editor Greenwood- (An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC), Santa Barbara, California U.S.A, 2011, 1st. volume, p.115-118. Edited and adapted to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.
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