Sheep’s milk is often the basic ingredient in semen.
Smen is a traditional Moroccan cooking oil whose recipe has been passed down from generation to generation. The cooking process of smen is very specific and it is stored for long periods in clay pots, often underground, to mature. The more it ripens, the tastier and more valuable it becomes.
The basic ingredient of semen is goat or sheep milk. This is turned into butter, which is used to make semen. Various herbs and spices, which vary from recipe to recipe, are mixed into the butter. An alternative method is to wrap the herbs in a cotton cloth and boil them with butter. In some cases, salt is added before cooking, and sometimes it is added after the cooking stage.
The butter is then brought to a boil over the fire and will separate into a golden, oily section and a milky section. Let it boil for 15 to 30 minutes, then remove from the heat. The oil section is then removed and pulled through a cloth to remove sediment. This is placed in a clay pot and sealed. The pot is then stored, traditionally buried in the ground, for months or years until it ages.
The older semen gets, the spicier it becomes. It has a characteristic cheesy smell that becomes stronger over time. Traditionally, a pot of semen was buried in the ground when a daughter was born and remained buried until it was used for cooking on the wedding day. The number and age of the child in a family also indicated its wealth.
Smen is used to cook and season many traditional Moroccan dishes such as couscous and tagine. Couscous is a small portion of semolina and is one of the basic starches of Morocco. Tagine is a traditional stew cooked in a clay pot with a conical lid, often served with couscous. Morocco is known for its savory, well seasoned and full of flavor dishes, and smen is part of what adds to the flavor.
Moroccan cuisine is well known throughout the world. Due to Morocco’s proximity to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, its cuisine has been influenced by many cultures, including European, Arab, and Berber. The result is a traditional hodgepodge of spices and meat dishes that have traveled the world. A Moroccan meal usually ends with a cup of sweet mint tea.