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Smen is an aged butter made throughout Middle East, particularly in Morocco. It turned the necessity of preserving butter in warm climates into a culinary creation.
It smells like a stinky cheese, and is used in small amounts as a condiment for flavour, particularly in couscous and in tangine dishes, and in some pastries.
To make Smen, clarified butter, dried herbs and salt are put in small earthenware pots. Some additional flavouring such as cinnamon may be added; some additional body such as a bit of semolina may be used. It is then stored in a cool, dry place to mature. Sometimes, it is even sealed and aged for years, even buried under ground.
The butter will have started off being made from milk from sheep, goats, buffalo milk (in Egypt), or cow.
Cooking Tips
Melt 1/2 pound (250 g) unsalted butter. Put 1 teaspoon dried oregano in a tea ball, or tied up in cheesecloth, add to butter, gently simmer for about 25 minutes or until butter is clarified (the butter will go clear, with a white layer on the bottom.) Skim off any foam using the edge of a piece of paper towelling, discard the oregano, and strain the butter through a double layer of cheesecloth. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a clean container, ideally sterilized. Cover and refrigerate. Let age for at least 2 weeks before using, and use up within 6 months. If you use salted butter, omit the salt.
Equivalents
1 part butter, 1 part olive oil
Also called:  Samneh
Semneh
Sman
Smeun Beurre ranci (French)
Other entries for Compound Butters
Anchovy Butter, Bercy Butter, Beurre pommade, Beurre Ramoli, Caviar Butter, Chive Butter, Chivry Butter, Colbert Butter, Crayfish Butter, Filbert Butter, Garlic Butter, Gascogne Butter, Green Butter, Hazelnut Butter, Herring Butter, Horseradish Butter, Lemon Butter, Lobster Butter, Maître d'Hôtel Butter, Marchand de Vins Butter, Montpellier Butter, Mushroom Butter, Mustard Butter, Paprika Butter, Pistachio Butter, Printanier Butter, Red Butter, Salmon Butter, Sardine Butter, Shallot Butter, Shrimp Butter, Smen, Snail Butter Bourguignon Style, Soft Roe Butter, Spiny Lobster Butter, Sweet Pimento Butter, Tarragon Butter, Tomato Butter, Truffle Butter, Tuna Butter, Walnut Butter
Other entries for Butter
Beurre d'Isigny, Beurre de Baratte, Butter Stick, Clarified Butter, Concentrated Butter, Cultured Butter, Dehydrated Butter, French Butters, Ghee, Light Butter, Margarine, Pasteurized Butter, Plugrá Butter, Raw Butter, Rendered Butter, Renovated Butter, Salted Butter, Semi-salted Butter, Spreadable Butter, Summer Butter, Sweet Cream Butter, Three-Quarter Fat Butter, Unsalted Butter, Whey Butter, Whipped Butter
Other entries for Dairy
Butterfat, Cheese, Milk, Nondairy Topping
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