Local cuisine in the Souss-Massa region is linked to a set of popular rituals and celebrations, and the dish "Taglla", or the bride of the Amazigh New Year dishes, holds deep symbolism in Amazigh culture. It forms part of the culinary heritage and transcends the narrow framework of nutrition to become a cultural expression of local social and agricultural characteristics.
"Taglla", or what is commonly referred to in Moroccan Darija as "Assida", is considered one of the essential dishes prepared in the daily life of the people of Souss as a festive dish for certain occasions, especially the arrival of the new agricultural year, also called the Amazigh New Year (Yennayer), as it reflects the values of synergy and solidarity, being served in a shared circular dish and divided among family members.
This Amazigh dish relies primarily on the agricultural produce grown by the simple Amazigh farmer on their land, and it translates the Amazigh person's connection to their land and their joy at the bounty and blessings it provides. It is also considered a healthy winter dish that helps the body resist the cold of the winter season.
In this regard, history and heritage researcher Abdelkrim Chaouri stated that "Taglla" in Amazigh culture reflects the values of cooperation, synergy, and solidarity that characterize the local community, as it is prepared with special care to be served in celebration of the arrival of the agricultural year, on the eve of the Amazigh New Year, just like the dish "Urkimen" which is also served on this occasion, and relies primarily on the agricultural produce of the simple local farmer.
Chaouri added, in an interview with the Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), that this dish is a meal cooked in a pot over low heat, and is linked in local culture primarily to the agricultural New Year occasion that comes after autumn (mid-January). Serving it alongside "Urkimen" is also accompanied by celebrations, joy, and the chanting of poems from the Amazigh oral tradition.
For her part, community activist Zahra Hafidi said that the Assida (Taglla) dish is prepared with local ingredients, using boiling water and flour (ground or powdered) from barley, corn, or "Ikiker", to which salt and ghee or oil (l'idam) are added. There are several types, including barley Assida (Taglla n Tomzin), corn Assida (Taglla usankar), and rice Assida (Taglla n Roz).
Hafidi mentioned, in a statement to the Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), that the method of preparing this meal begins with the women in charge of its preparation cleaning the barley or corn grains well of impurities. After that, they are boiled in water for about two hours in a pot over low heat until the grains open up, then flour and salt are added, without forgetting to stir the mixture with a wooden spoon from time to time until it becomes like dough.
After serving the Assida in a serving dish, a small indentation is made in the middle of this Amazigh dish, or a small circular hole is formed where olive oil, Argan oil, or melted ghee is poured to moisten the Assida while eating it hot by hand or with a spoon, along with honey or local buttermilk. It can also be decorated with other products such as eggs, dates, and walnuts, as well as marked with "Tifinagh" letters to congratulate on the occasion of the new Amazigh New Year.
Among the customs that the local population has practiced, before serving this dish in a circular bowl or "Tazlaft", is burying a date pit or a palm kernel in the middle of the dish, a custom that brings good luck to the person who finds it while eating.
Old stories linked to this custom suggest that the first person to find the buried date pit (Aghormi) in the middle of the dish will be lucky during the new year, and the first calf born during the same year in the family's barn will be theirs.
The post "Taglla" the bride of Amazigh New Year dishes in the Souss-Massa region appeared first on Hespress - Moroccan electronic newspaper.
