Al Nafas: The Secret Ingredient to Cooking
This post is about a beautiful concept that exists in the Arab world, and it’s believed to be the secret of good food, so I’d like to share it with you.
That concept is called “Al Nafas”. Literally translated to “soul” or “breath”.
In MENA, particularly amongst older generations in remote villages, a good cook is judged by their nafas in cooking. We say that a person has good nafas in cooking, meaning that whatever they cook, even if it is as simple as a fried egg with olive oil, salt and pepper, will taste differently when they cook it. If their food is plain, we say they don’t have nafas in cooking at all!
Al nafas in cooking is, in other words, the positive energy, love, passion and care that a person would put into their cooking. It’s when their heart and soul are involved in the process of cooking, while cutting onions, adding salt, mixing everything together and presenting it to the ones they love and care about. It’s a person’s very own technique in cooking and their special touch that they put into the meal they prepare.
You can give two cooks the same ingredients in the same quantities and ask them to prepare the same dish following the same recipe step by step. If one of them has a good nafas, you will feel it while tasting their food. It’s like listening to two covers of the same song, one will go to the ears and the other will go straight to the heart and soul.
My teta (grandma), married at the age of 14 and had to learn how to cook by herself from scratch in a time where she didn’t have a phone, internet or Cookpad. She raised my mum along with my 10 aunts and uncles and she had to cook for them every single day. Until today we call her the queen of the kitchen. She was illiterate, meaning that she was never able to read nor write a recipe so her only support in the kitchen was her good taste and nafas. Although everything looked so messy, random and not at all photogenic, it continued to taste so good time and time again.
Al nafas in cooking is not only about tasty food, it’s that extra bonus you get while eating that builds a connection between you, the food you’re eating and the cook. It’s what will make you link a dish to a person. It’s what makes you crave a dish cooked by that specific person and no one else.
Al nafas: The Key to a Cook’s Confidence
Al nafas is always the answer when we ask someone about what encouraged them to cook more. “Everyone tells me I have good nafas and my cooking is special”. This element on its own is enough to make a cook feel confident. Knowing that their food is unique, that no one can replicate the taste, and everyone can taste the passion and love they put into everything they cook.
Do you believe in Al nafas?
It’s really hard to put into words the exact meaning of the term “nafas in cooking”. While some people think it’s just a biased opinion about someone’s cooking, it’s still widely believed in the Arab world that Al nafas is like that extra special ingredient or gift you add into your cooking. If you have it, then the people who eat your cooking are the luckiest ever!
