Recipe Manuscript

جوذاب الرطب

Name: جوذاب الرطب
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT1H30M
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 4-liter tinned copper pot (or similar casserole); 30 ml rosewater; 5-6 sheets yufka or filo pastry; 400 g ripe Medjool or Barhi dates, pitted; 40 g blanched almonds, finely ground; 40 g pistachios, finely ground; 20 g poppy seeds, toasted; 250 g grape molasses (sub: 200 g honey + 50 g pomegranate molasses); pinch (1 g) saffron threads; 1.5 kg whole chicken, plump and fresh; 30 g sugar; Extra rosewater and saffron for stuffing mixture

"Jowzab Al-Rutab"

1200

From the treasured pages of Kitāb al-ṭabīkh

Written by Ibn al-Karīm, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan

Medieval (500 - 1400)Middle Eastern Advanced Dinner Festive

Original Recipe • 1200

Original Manuscript(circa Medieval, 500 - 1400)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

جوذاب الرطب

"يؤخذ دست نحاس مبيض ، فيفرش فيه قليل ماء ورد. ثم يبسط فيه رقاقة ويصف عليها من الرطب الجني الخاستوي (١) فرشةً ، ثم ينثر عليها لب فستق ولوز مدقوقين ناعماً وخشخاش محمّصاً فرشةً . ثم يعاد الرطب وفوقه كما ذكر الى ان يبقى من الدست نصفه . وتكون الفرشة الفوقانية من اللوز والفستق . ثم يسكب عليه قدر نصف رطل جلاباً واوقية ماء ورد قد ارمي فيه نصف درهم زعفراناً ويغطى برقاقة ، ويعلق عليه دجاج سمين قد حشي جوفه بالسكر واللوز والفستق المعجون بماء الورد المطيب وزعفر باطنه وظاهره . فاذا استحكم نضجه رفع ."

English Translation

"Take a tinned copper pot and line the bottom with a little rosewater. Then lay a thin piece of bread on it, and spread a layer of ripe khashtawi dates on top. Sprinkle over them finely ground pistachios and almonds, and some toasted poppy seeds as a layer. Repeat with more dates and more of the mentioned nuts and poppy seeds, until the pot is half full. The top layer should be of almonds and pistachios. Then pour over it about half a pound of jallab (date syrup) and an ounce of rosewater in which half a dirham of saffron has been soaked. Cover with another thin piece of bread, and place on top a fat chicken, stuffing its cavity with sugar, almonds, and pistachios kneaded with perfumed rosewater, and rub its inside and outside with saffron. When it is well cooked through, remove it."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in the classical Arabic style of the medieval cookbooks: a prose sequence, without precise weights or times, assuming the cook’s familiarity with local ingredients and techniques. Quantities are relative (dast/potful, handfuls, 'enough to cover'), typical of instructions meant for court or professional cooks trained in improvisation. Spelling reflects the phonetic and sometimes regionally inflected classical Arabic – e.g., 'jalab' meaning concentrated grape syrup (molasses); 'raqāqah' for thin unleavened bread/pastry. The text expects the reader to know the process of scenting with saffron and rosewater (classic Abbasid refinements), layering as in Persian ‘baklava’, and steaming/roasting in a single vessel, seamlessly blending basics of baking, confectionery, and roasting.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Kitāb al-ṭabīkh - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Kitāb al-ṭabīkh (1200)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Ibn al-Karīm, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan

Era

1200

Publisher

Maṭbaʻat Umm al-Rabīʻayn

Background

Step back into the sumptuous kitchens of the medieval Islamic world with this early collection of culinary wisdom. Savor recipes, tips, and gastronomic secrets that once delighted the palates of princes and poets alike.

Kindly made available by

NYU/ American University of Beirut

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This sumptuous recipe comes from Ibn al-Karīm’s 13th-century culinary manuscript, an artifact of the rich food culture of medieval Mosul (al-Mawṣil), Iraq. Such elaborate dishes were symbols of both wealth and refined taste, created for banquet tables and festive occasions among the urban elite. Combining fruit, nuts, perfumed syrups, and roasted stuffed poultry, this dish represents the lavish, multi-layered flavors beloved in Abbasid and later Islamic cuisines, where sweet and savory intermingle, and fragrant waters and spices abound. The use of dates and nuts speaks to the agricultural bounty of Mesopotamia, while the layers and pastry hint at Persian and Byzantine influences.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

The original preparation calls for a large tinned copper pot (dast/dast-nahās), crucial for gentle, even heat. A thin bread or pastry sheet (raqāqah) is used – something akin to yufka or handmade lavash. A mortar and pestle would serve to grind nuts and perhaps even meat. Ember stoves or open fire would provide the necessary low, steady heat, and the cook would need fine strainers and long-handled spoons for syrup and nuts. In modern kitchens, a Dutch oven or heavy casserole substitutes nicely for the copper vessel. Food processors stand in for mortar/pestle, and ovens replace the open fire.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 mins

Servings

Ingredients

4-quart tinned copper pot (or similar casserole)
2 tablespoons rosewater
5-6 sheets yufka or filo pastry
14 oz ripe Medjool or Barhi dates, pitted
1.5 oz blanched almonds, finely ground
1.5 oz pistachios, finely ground
0.75 oz poppy seeds, toasted
9 oz grape molasses (sub: 7 oz honey + 1.75 oz pomegranate molasses)
pinch (0.04 oz) saffron threads
3.3 lbs whole chicken, plump and fresh
1 oz sugar
Extra rosewater and saffron for stuffing mixture

Instructions

Begin by lining the bottom of a 4-quart tinned copper pot (or a heavy casserole or Dutch oven) with a little rosewater – about 2 tablespoons.
Lay down a thin sheet of yufka or filo pastry (about 1 sheet, fitting the bottom).
Spread a layer (approximately 14 oz) of ripe, soft dates (preferably Medjool or Barhi for a similar texture to 'khastawi') over the pastry.
Sprinkle generously with 1.5 oz each of finely chopped or ground blanched almonds and pistachios, and 0.75 oz toasted poppy seeds.
Repeat layers: pastry, dates, nuts, poppy seeds, until the pot is halfway full, ensuring the topmost layer is of nuts.
Make a syrup by combining 9 oz grape molasses (or a mix of 7 oz honey and 1.75 oz pomegranate molasses), 2 tablespoons rosewater, and a pinch (about 0.04 oz) of saffron threads steeped in a little hot water.
Pour this over the top.
Cover with another pastry sheet to enclose.
Stuff a whole plump chicken (approx.
3.3 lbs) with a mixture of sugar (1 oz), ground almonds (1 oz), ground pistachios (1 oz), all mixed with a splash of rosewater and a tiny pinch of saffron, coating the inside and outside.
Place the stuffed chicken on top of the covered pastry.
Cover the pot and cook gently (in the oven at 325°F, or on very low flame) until the chicken is fully cooked through and tender, about 60-90 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat, let rest for 15 minutes, then serve chicken with the date-pastry below as a rich, aromatic dessert-course.

Estimated Calories

670 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Preparation takes about 30 minutes, including pitting the dates, grinding nuts, and assembling the layers. Cooking takes 60 to 90 minutes in the oven. Each serving is based on making 8 portions, with about 670 calories per serving, considering the chicken, nuts, dates, pastry, and syrup.