Strawberry Orange Blossom Salad

A North African and Levantine preparation of startling elegance: fresh strawberries macerated with orange blossom water, a drizzle of honey, fresh mint and a squeeze of lemon: fragrant, cool and beautiful in a way that no cream or cake can rival

Origin: Morocco & Egypt (North Africa and Levant region)

From the journey of Strawberry.

The pairing of strawberries with orange blossom water is characteristic of North African and Levantine cuisine, where ma zhar (orange blossom water) is used to perfume everything from pastries to salads to drinks. In Morocco, where strawberries from the Souss-Massa plain are among the finest in the world and where orange blossom is distilled from the bitter orange trees of Marrakech and Fez, the pairing is particularly natural. The dish appears on tables across the Maghreb and Egypt as a light dessert after heavy meals, at Ramadan iftars when something refreshing and not too heavy is desired, and as a summer fruit course at family lunches. In Egypt's Nile Delta, where strawberry cultivation expanded dramatically in the 1980s to supply European markets, the local preparation often includes a splash of rose water alongside the orange blossom. The combination of fresh mint, floral water, honey and lemon juice with ripe strawberries is one of the most perfect flavour alignments in all of fruit cookery.

Ingredients

Fruit

600 g ripe strawberries, hulled

Flavouring

1.5 tsp orange blossom water
0.5 tsp rose water (optional, Egyptian variation)

Sweetener

1 tbsp runny honey (or more to taste)

Acid

1 tbsp lemon juice

Herb

10 leaves fresh mint, finely shredded

Garnish

1 tbsp pistachios, coarsely chopped (optional garnish)

Method

Hull the strawberries. Halve the smaller ones and quarter the larger ones so the pieces are roughly uniform.
In a large bowl, whisk together the orange blossom water, honey, lemon juice and rose water (if using). Taste; it should be fragrant, sweet and just slightly tart.
Add the strawberries to the bowl and toss gently to coat in the dressing. Allow to macerate at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.
Just before serving, add the shredded mint and toss gently once more.
Transfer to a serving bowl or individual plates. Scatter the chopped pistachios over the top if using. Serve at room temperature; do not refrigerate before serving, as the cold suppresses the aromatic compounds.

Notes

This salad demonstrates one of the great principles of North African cooking: that a few perfect ingredients, treated with respect and understanding, need nothing further. The quality of the orange blossom water matters considerably; cheap synthetic versions have a soapy quality; genuine distilled ma zhar from Morocco or Lebanon is incomparably better. The same applies to the honey; Moroccan forest honey (mel de forêt) or any single-flower honey with character will perfume the salad in a way that bland commercial honey cannot. The pistachios add colour and texture but are optional; the dish is excellent without them.

The Gastrographer

Name: Strawberry Orange Blossom Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Morocco & Egypt
Ingredients: 600 g ripe strawberries, hulled; 1.5 tsp orange blossom water; 1 tbsp runny honey (or more to taste); 1 tbsp lemon juice; 0.5 tsp rose water (optional, Egyptian variation); 10 leaves fresh mint, finely shredded; 1 tbsp pistachios, coarsely chopped (optional garnish)

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control