These two recipes became instant incorporations into my daily food system, since what they represent are two brilliant new ways of doing what I already do, buying what I already buy, and eating and cooking how I already like to cook and eat. We could say that, more than recipes, this two foods are like new tuppers from the same refrigerator. I mean, of course, a dagga (or "gazatí salad") is not a molcajete salsa, and an abucado imtabbal is not a guacamole —each dish has its own reason of being and charm— though, they can both top the same tlacoyo or be spread over the same pita... If you know what I mean.
As I explained when I described Palestinian shatta, the basic difference between the latter and a salsa picante is that while shatta refers to a more specific kind of fresh chili paste (whose components, of course, may vary but within a certain frame), the term salsa —on the other hand— can encompass such an ample universe of recipes, that its limits can extend beyond the idea of what we would normally refer to as salsa (even in Mexican Spanish) —but— which somehow makes sense to include in the same category, if I am being clear... Something like a quesadilla without cheese; you have to use your imagination a little, open to possibilities… Not everything in life is black or white —besides— it is thanks to this open-mind and willingness to experiment that Mexico City is so full of delicious food, or how do you think people came up with esquites? There are no lmits here (I mean, as long as inventions are spontaneous and truly delicious, and not some pretentious overpriced signature shit).
Well, such is the case with guacamole, which is not precisely a salsa, but now you get me, right? Therefore —and considering I lie under the Chilango sky (or the “land of culinary possibility)”— it is perfectly justified that I include a mashed avocado recipe in a salsas post, and to categorize a “spicy salad” under the same term; even more so, considering that we are talking about the coincidences between Palestinian and Mexican cuisine, and these two jewels are my most recent and fortunate adoptions.
IMTABBAL ABUCADO
If we go by appearances, imtabbal abucado could be interpreted as a literal translation to guacamole but it is not. First of all, because the root of the names of these two foods have a very different logic. While the meaning of the term guacamole —which comes from the combination of the Nahuatl terms: ahuacatl (castellanized as "avocado") and molli (meaning "mole," "to grind," or "grounded")— focuses on the fruit itself and its texture "ground avocado", regardless of what it is accompanied with, The word imtabbal (also translated as mutabbal) —on the other hand— focuses on the type of seasoning since it literally means "spicy; meaning that, the avocado —contrary to guacamole— is not the main ingredient in an imtabbal, in fact, the typical vegetable for this type of spicy spread is eggplant (though, do not mistake it with baba ganoush; the difference between the two is precisely the use of spices). In short, imtabbal can be made with other other ingredients. El-Haddad includes an imtabbal ari' ("sweet pumpkin dip") and an imtabbal bitinjan ("spicy chared eggplant dip") in her book. *I will make and share both recipes soon (not only because I haven’t stopped thinking about them since I read them, also because I happen to have half a butternut squash in the fridge and a tupper full of pomegranate seeds, that were gifted to me by my dear friend Rox, whose mother is a super accomplished gardener who —amongst other fruit trees and fragrant herbs— has the fullest, sweetest, and more intensely red pomegranates I've ever seen).
The 📽️ recipe…
DAGGA (O SALATA GHAZAWIYY)
Well, the second recipe in this post is not a salsa either (hahaha), at least not in the universe of Palestinian cuisine (because the chilango universe is another story, as we have seen). In the star book of this series of posts, The Gaza Kitchen by Laila El-Haddad, this recipe is included in the salad section under the name dagga —or salata Ghazawiy— which literally means "Gazan salad”, and is described in English a “spicy Gazan tomato and dill salad”.
However, in the case of this recipe —even more so than on the previous one— I consider it is perfectly valid to classify it under a salsas section in a Mexican newsletter, for four simple reasons:
It has chile,
it has tomato (which, together with tomatillo, is the watery element par excellence of Mexican salsas —from pre-Hispanic mollis to date),
it is traditionally grounded in a clay mortar (be it zibdya or molcajete, the artifact and the process have the same cultural value), and…
it can be eaten alone, but really shines as complement to other foods since it capable of reviving even the blandest dish.
Now, back to the subject of appearances… At a first glance, we could easily mistake a molcajete salsa for a dagga, and viceversa, but we would immediately become aware of this error upon tasting, since, due to the contrasts in spices, each recipe takes us through, equally delicious, yet different routes.
The 📽️ recipe…