Let’s talk gourds.
Jewish texts mention four types of gourds: cucumber, melon, watermelon and summer squash. Their first appearance is in a complaint of the Israelites in the dessert, “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons…but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” (Numbers, chapter 11.)
The Hebrew text refers to squash (or zucchini) and watermelon, not cucumbers and melons. Cucumbers arrived to the Middle East in Medieval times, so zucchini makes more sense here, and more specifically, the text probably refers to the snake melons, or fakus in Arabic, that are still popular in the region.
Watermelons, at the time of the Book of Numbers, were probably not the sweet fruit we know today, but rather a gourd that may have required cooking. The sweet watermelon appears first only in the Mishnah.
As part of the Rosh Hashanah seder, Sephardi Jews include a blessing on a gourd, or pumpkin. That custom is first mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud and it is likely a reference to the bottle gourd that was widely available in the region at the time.
In addition to this ancient written evidence, archeologists were able to find gourd, watermelon, melon and fakus seeds in Egypt and other locations in the Middle East, some of them five millennia old.
Although most types of gourds that are popular today originated from America, it is nice to think of how fond our ancestors were of gourds, so much so that they were willing to give away their hope for freedom from their Egyptian oppressors, if only Moses would give them some melons.
Tunisian pumpkin salad (tirshi)
Course: Appetizers, Salads, SidesCuisine: Tunisian, JewishDifficulty: Easy6
servings10
minutes20
minutes30
minutesWhile the original recipe calls for pumpkin, I think that the widely available butternut squash works even better. This salad is so full of flavor, thanks to the unique combination of spices and the tartness from freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Tirshi is a served as a side dish or condiment for any meal, but it’s best spread generously on a thick slice of good bread.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. peeled butternut squash (About ½ large squash)
1 Yukon gold potato
¼ cup corn oil or avocado oil or mild olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 garlic cloves
1½ teaspoons Kosher salt
½ teaspoon caraway seed
¼ teaspoon cumin seed
1½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon crushed chili pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Cut butternut squash to ¾ inch cubes. Peel and cut potato to ½ inch cubes. Steam butternut squash and potato in a steamer basket over boiling water for about 20 minutes, until fork tender. You can also simply cook the squash and potato in salted water, then drain. Transfer to a bowl.
- Pour oil and lemon juice over squash and potato and use a potato masher to coarsely mash both.
- Crush garlic cloves, salt, caraway seed and cumin seed using a mortar and pestle and add to butternut squash mixture. Adjust salt and lemon to taste.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Tirshi keeps in a sealed container in the fridge up to a week.
