Egyptian Sham El-nessim

Around the World with Millac! Flavors of Spring: Egyptian Sham El-nessim

Greetings from Millac! We’re glad to see you for our first segment featuring a foreign country. Last time, we had looked at the shared celebration of Nowruz in Balochistan, traveling westward through Iran, the Central Asian, and Balkan republics to appreciate the unique ways this New Year was celebrated. In today’s blog we will be inching westward a little bit more to the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region to learn how Egyptians welcome spring! Most lovers of history are fond of learning about Egypt’s ancient civilization which has survived the test of time through monuments and the writings etched on their surface.  Did you know that it is this ancient legacy of the Egyptians which, combined with Coptic culture and Arabization, has influenced how modern-day Egyptians welcome the fresh spring breeze? That legacy is none other than the Pharaonic festival of Shemu season, today known by the Arabic name Sham El-nessim, also romanized as Sham Ennessim.

The Arabic name roughly translates to “Inhaling the Zephyr (West Wind)” and its etymology is a testament to how the festival has traveled from the ancient Pharaonic language to the Coptic language and finally arrived at the days of Egypt’s Arabization to the currently used Arabic name. Today the festival belongs to no single religious denomination despite its coincidence with the dates of Easter. Egyptians from all walks of life gather as a community to celebrate their shared cultural heritage and rejoice in the pleasant spring weather. Typical activities include journeying to the beach as a family, decorating eggs, picnicking in parks, singing, dancing, going to the theater, and eating fesikh. Fesikh is a type of salted and fermented fish known for its pungent odor. Other foods associated with the festival are lettuce, spring onions, and eggs.  Today’s recipe is not about fesikh since it should only be prepared by trusted vendors or skilled chefs as it may be hazardous when pickled improperly. Instead, we will be taking a look at another traditional dish which is loved by Egyptians; Shoreek sweet bread rolls. Much easier to prepare and made delicious with Millac Unsalted Butter! Enjoy shoreek with a tall glass of your favorite Millac milk!

Recipe

Gather the following ingredients:

1. Millac Unsalted Butter, melted ½ cup
2. Millac Full Cream Milk Powder, 1 cup
3. All purpose flour 3 cups
4. Egg, 1 large or 2 small
5. Yeast 1 tbsp
6. Toppings of choice, sesame, brown sugar, chopped nuts, raisins, dried fruits etc.

Preparations before assembling:

1. Melt butter until liquid.
2. Prepare one cup of milk.

Directions:

1. Mix flour and yeast together.
2. Add eggs and oil, beating well.
3. Add milk slowly until the dough becomes sticky. Set aside ½ or ¼ cup as appropriate.
4. Cover the dough with a cheesecloth or plastic and let rise for an hour.
5. Knead the dough and then let it rise for another hour. Repeat 3 to 4 times for fluffy and moist bread texture.
6. Divide the dough into 6 – 10 medium sized balls.
7. Divide each ball into 3 sections and make a braid, joining both ends to give a round shape.
8. Brush the braided bread rolls with egg wash, sprinkle toppings of choice.
9. Bake for 20 minutes at 375F or until golden brown.

That’s all for today! Join us next time as we journey to Slovenia to see how this European country welcomes spring.