Sikbaj

Abbasid sweet-sour saffron lamb: the favourite dish of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, documented in the 10th-century Baghdad cookbooks

Origin: Abbasid Caliphate, Baghdad (present-day Iraq)

From the journey of Saffron.

Sikbaj is the most celebrated dish of the Abbasid court kitchen: a sweet-sour braised lamb preparation combining wine vinegar, honey, dried fruit, warm spices, and saffron that appears in multiple variations in Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq's Kitab al-Tabikh (c. 940 CE), the most comprehensive medieval Islamic cookbook. It was reportedly the favourite dish of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, whose court at Baghdad in the late 8th century was the most sophisticated in the world. The name derives from the Persian sik (vinegar) and baj (stew), reflecting the Persian culinary heritage that the Abbasid kitchen absorbed and elaborated. Sikbaj is a direct ancestor of the Spanish escabeche and the Italian scapece; both names corrupt of the Arabic, carried westward by Arab merchants along the same trade routes that distributed saffron. When you taste the sweet-sour balance of saffron and vinegar in this dish, you are tasting the central flavour principle of medieval Islamic court cooking at its most refined.

Ingredients

Main

800 g bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into large pieces
1 large onion, finely sliced
3 tbsp olive oil or rendered tail fat
400 ml lamb or chicken stock

Sweet-sour base

100 ml red wine vinegar
3 tbsp honey
50 g dried apricots, roughly chopped
30 g raisins

Spices

0.5 tsp saffron threads, steeped in 3 tbsp warm water for 15 minutes
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0.5 tsp ground coriander
0.5 tsp ground cumin
0.25 tsp ground ginger
0.25 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt

To finish

30 g blanched almonds, toasted, to finish
1 small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to finish

Method

Steep the saffron threads in 3 tablespoons of warm water and set aside for at least 15 minutes. The water should turn a deep amber.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. Season the lamb pieces and brown well on all sides in batches, 4–5 minutes per batch. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, reduce heat to medium and fry the sliced onion for 10 minutes until softened and golden. Add the ground cinnamon, coriander, cumin, ginger and black pepper and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
Return the lamb to the pot. Add the stock, saffron water (including threads), vinegar and honey. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the base. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Add the dried apricots and raisins. Cover and cook on the lowest possible heat for 60–70 minutes, turning the lamb occasionally, until very tender and the braising liquid has reduced to a glossy, thick sauce.
Taste for salt. Serve the sikbaj over flatbread or alongside steamed white rice, scattered with toasted almonds and fresh coriander.

The Gastrographer

Name: Sikbaj
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Baghdad
Ingredients: 800 g bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into large pieces; 1 large onion, finely sliced; 3 tbsp olive oil or rendered tail fat; 100 ml red wine vinegar; 3 tbsp honey; 50 g dried apricots, roughly chopped; 30 g raisins; 400 ml lamb or chicken stock; 0.5 tsp saffron threads, steeped in 3 tbsp warm water for 15 minutes; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.5 tsp ground coriander; 0.5 tsp ground cumin; 0.25 tsp ground ginger; 0.25 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp salt; 30 g blanched almonds, toasted, to finish; 1 small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to finish

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control