North Africa · Dessert
Tamina (Toasted Semolina and Honey Sweet with Cinnamon and Dragées)
A fragrant, comforting Algerian confection of golden toasted semolina emulsified with melted butter, wildflower honey, and orange blossom water.
The story
Tamina is the quintessential celebratory sweet prepared across Algeria to welcome a newborn baby and to mark the Mawlid holiday. Rich in warming fats and unrefined sugars, it is historically served to postpartum mothers to restore physical vigor and stimulate lactation. A critical culinary detail is allowing the toasted semolina to cool completely before whisking it into the warm honey-butter emulsion, which prevents the grains from becoming gummy or tough.
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