مدفونة

"To make it, cut fatty meat into small pieces, render tail fat in a pot, and sweat the meat in it. Then cover with water, and add one dirham of maaj and one dirham of finely ground dried cassia, along with a stick of Chinese cinnamon. When it comes to a boil, remove the scum. Take some red meat, pound it finely, and boil it with water and salt. Add to it a handful of peeled, pounded chickpeas that have been soaked in water for an hour. Take large eggplants, remove the stems, and take out all the seeds from the inside, being careful not to break them. Stuff them with the prepared meat mixture, adding the well-known spices. Arrange them in the pot, after putting a little chopped onion at the bottom. Tint the pot’s broth with a little saffron. Sprinkle over the pot one dirham each of ground dried cassia and Chinese cinnamon. Sprinkle a little rose water on top. Wipe the sides with a clean cloth and let simmer gently on low heat for an hour, then remove."

This recipe, like many from its era, is written for cooks with robust experience, offering little in the way of precise measures or times. It moves chronologically through the process, assuming knowledge of butchery and spice preparation. Spelling and ingredient naming reflect medieval Arabic culinary lexicon: for instance, 'ksafra' (cassia leaves) and 'maj' (rue). Modern cooks will need to interpret some ingredients and amounts, substituting where needed due to safety or availability—rue, for example, is now used sparingly if at all. Its method emphasizes clarity in sequencing actions—first the broth, then the stuffing, eggplant, assembly, and finishing with delicate aromatics like saffron and rosewater.