Between thick porridges, vegetable preparations and semolina made from ancient seeds, Yennayer is undoubtedly a celebration of the abundance of the earth, in gratitude for the annual harvest it gives. In this sense, the Amazigh New Year is distinguished by the preparation of numerous dishes, which give pride of place to local products. These are mainly seeds and foodstuffs cultivated over the centuries, carefully preserved in collective granaries like igoudar.
Always a subject of debate between historians, the Amazigh calendar finds an almost unanimous origin of its reference date in the enthronement of Pharaoh Sheshonq I, 950 years before Jesus Christ. A celebration made official in Morocco, which celebrates Yennayer on January 14 of each year of the Gregorian calendar, this New Year constitutes an opportunity to widely share the ancestral dishes from the harvests symbolized by this event throughout the centuries.
When some communities opt for tagoula as the central dish of their festive dinner, others prefer couscous made from barley or corn, often accompanied by seasonal vegetables and very rarely meat. But the range still remains wide, especially for fans of ourkimen, a specificity of the Anti-Atlas tables.
In Tafraout in particular, ourkimen is a family dish based on handfuls of various legumes, soaked in water before cooking: lentils, broad beans, chickpeas, split peas, white beans… It is even from this principle that the name of the dish is inspired, derived from the Amazigh term “irkm”, which refers to the traditional method of soaking. Everything is accompanied by onions, barley seeds, but also turnip greens, cumin and cinnamon, depending on availability, without forgetting the essential olive oil.
Depending on local usage, some variations may also include tomatoes, ginger and turmeric, or other dried vegetables, if food supplies permit. The principle remains the same, as for many Amazigh preparations which keep common bases, but which can be elaborated or adapted to the agricultural seasons, whether meager or abundant.
A common preparation base around the Mediterranean
The secret to the success of ourkimen is also the same as that of many preparations from the ancestral land: slow cooking, over low heat, ideally over a wood fire, which allows you to obtain a thick and consistent soup. For a smoother preparation, you can add a handful of corn or barley meal.
If the annual harvest is abundant enough to allow the storage of dried meats, ourkimen can also be accompanied by goat’s feet, which gives the dish flavors close to the more commonly accepted “kouraîne”. Beyond Morocco, the tradition of dishes based on goat’s feet, calves or beef is widely shared in North Africa and the Mediterranean.
In the Great South-East of France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is one of the capitals of this tradition. In Saint-Etienne, this dates more recently from the 19th century. In this region long known for its textile and metallurgical industry, calves’ feet are mainly served in celebration of St. Barbara’s Day, which marks the start of Christmas festivities. Established as a local specialty, this dish is simmered with vegetables, spices and a vinegar sauce.
In France, the best-known version remains pig’s trotter, one of the culinary emblems of Sainte-Menehould in the Grand-Est. Depending on the region and country, several other variations exist. Some stories link them in particular to Yiddish culinary uses in Europe, or Sephardic ones in North Africa, which find their origins in ancient preparations dating back several centuries, if not several millennia.
