Smen – Homemade Herb Butter

Can be prepared and preserved.

In Morocco, and often likewise in neighboring countries, cooking is not always done with olive oil, but with ‘Smen’, a clarified herb flavored butter.

Dice the butter, put it in a large saucepan and let it melt. Now make at low temperature, stirring continuously.

After the butter has risen a second time, the protein residue should have settled to the bottom of the saucepan and turned light brown. Let the butter stand until it is completely clear.

Spread out a sieve with a muslin cloth, pour in the salt as well as the kitchen herbs, place the sieve on a canning jar or possibly an earthenware pot and strain the still liquid butter. Close it well and keep it cooled.

In the refrigerator, this clarified butter will keep for about 6 months.

Tip In Morocco, the real Smen, which has a slightly rancid pleasant taste, is made from curdled spring milk. The resulting butter is formed into balls and left in the buttermilk. After a few days, this butter, called ‘zebda’, is preserved by boiling. The Berbers keep Smen in sealed jars for years, which makes its flavor stronger and stronger.

Variation Instead of homemade butter, you can also use store-bought butter (clarified butter) flavored with herbs as described, so that it resembles the real Smen.

Our tip: If you like to cook with fresh herbs, it is best to get kitchen herbs

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