Baghdad Breakfast: Thick Cream

Baghdad Breakfast: Thick Cream

I pride myself on having unconventional breakfasts (garlic and beans, chili, anything but cereal), so today, at Mataam Al-Mataam, in search of a little Iraqi chow, I spotted Thick Cream on the breakfast menu and my antennae perked up. “What’s that,” I asked the server, pointing to the menu, and she brought me a container filled with white stuff.

“That’s Thick Cream?” I ask.

She nodded.

“Okay, I’ll take that,” sez I.

She asked, “You want this?” smiling and arching her eyebrows, slightly incredulous (I get this a lot).

Home, The Wife and I examined our Thick Cream. I flashed to being a kid doing the science experiment (recently mentioned somewhere on the board) of making butter – the Thick Cream looked just like what we made then, slightly congealed into clusters of goop, not quite cream and not quite butter. I wasn’t sure how to eat it, but they gave us a lot of bread, so I assumed that was how it was done. It was pretty good – slightly sweet, really creamy, and nicer than any of the grocery store butter The Wife insists upon purchasing. It would probably be even better with fruit preserves, which is what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow.

Also on the breakfast menu at this “Restaurant of Restaurants” is cheese with black olives, which seems a feasible way to break fast, too.

Hammond

Mataam Al-Mataam
3200 W. Lawrence
773.463.0600

It sounds a bit like Devonshire clotted cream? Is that what it was like? It if it, it must have been a lovely treat.

And I'm with you on the odd breakfast thing. I always felt like we got shorted, thanks to Dr. Kellogg, Mr. Post, and the cereal wars. Everyone else on the planet seems to get better breakfasts -- especially the Mediterranean, where there are usually fabulous breads, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheeses, and really intense coffee.

So, what else do you recommend from this "restaurant of restaurants"?

A few years back I discovered this stuff (gamor) too. It graced my breakfast table for a few weeks until I noticed none of my pants were fitting

I wrote about it here

Cynthia wrote:It sounds a bit like Devonshire clotted cream? Is that what it was like? It if it, it must have been a lovely treat.

And I'm with you on the odd breakfast thing. I always felt like we got shorted, thanks to Dr. Kellogg, Mr. Post, and the cereal wars. Everyone else on the planet seems to get better breakfasts -- especially the Mediterranean, where there are usually fabulous breads, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheeses, and really intense coffee.

So, what else do you recommend from this "restaurant of restaurants"?

Sometimes my ignorance is "awesome" (in a Longinian sense of breathtaking, monumental): not sure I've ever had clotted cream, though what I had tonight was clotted and it was cream, so could be.

The big favorite at our table was a combo of gus (a beef shawerma) and kufta kabab. I also liked the yogurt drink.

Hammond

Cynthia wrote:And I'm with you on the odd breakfast thing. I always felt like we got shorted, thanks to Dr. Kellogg, Mr. Post, and the cereal wars. Everyone else on the planet seems to get better breakfasts -- especially the Mediterranean, where there are usually fabulous breads, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheeses, and really intense coffee.

Ha. Iam not in agreement at all - I think North America does breakfasts very
well indeed

The coffee I can usually take or leave (I know thats unusual) - and
I personally wouldnt care that much for olives, tomatoes and
cucumbers for breakfast much at all! The cheeses Iam ok with -
but only if theyre over or in eggs, usually

OK, cereals werent a great gift (conceivably)... but eggs, grits,
sausages, hash browns? The Southern Breakfast would surely
match up to many from various parts of the world, I think.

(And I say this as someone who loves a nalli-nehari and kheema
breakfast - which I cant find *anywhere* in Chicago, basically

c8w

If folks are interested in this - A lot of places sell this stuff also called malay, there's one on the eastern side of devon, there's one on potter road north of dempster and there's also the little persian store next to Larsa

zim wrote:If folks are interested in this - A lot of places sell this stuff also called malay, there's one on the eastern side of devon, there's one on potter road north of dempster and there's also the little persian store next to Larsa

Grew up with malai/malay - I always ate it with a bit of honey on parata or toast. It's a fantastic breakfast.

They sell it pre-packaged on devon?

c8w wrote:OK, cereals werent a great gift (conceivably)... but eggs, grits,
sausages, hash browns? The Southern Breakfast would surely
match up to many from various parts of the world, I think.

I wasn't aiming to slam the traditional American breakfast, I just think that breakfast is one of those things that people eat automatically every morning, and frequently it seems we (meaning, I) fall into the rut of eating the same damn thing every morning for weeks on end...so I was delighted when I found something else to have before the workday began. The Thick Cream was, indeed, a fine accompaniment to toast and jam -- and what I like is that even though it was refrigerated, it was still somewhat "soft" this morning, perfect for spreading on Al Khayam torpedo bread.

Ha. Iam not in agreement at all - I think North America does breakfasts very well indeed OK, cereals werent a great gift (conceivably)... but eggs, grits, sausages, hash browns? The Southern Breakfast would surely
match up to many from various parts of the world, I think.

I don't think we are in disagreement here. The comment was about cereal, and a bowl of cold cereal is not a great breakfast -- unless, maybe, it's Grape Nuts. And cereal was the item being avoided in the first post. I delight in a good Southern Breakfast, but how often is that presented to us in the morning? Of course, I couldn't eat that way every day and still be able to get up the stairs, but I concur that eggs, grits, sausage, and hashbrowns make a great breakfast (though perhaps not as great as eggs, steak, and fresh tomatoes).

For me, the issue is not whether or not North America is capable of producing a decent breakfast. The issue is, on the days I don't have time to create a great breakfast (which is most days), I don't really consider cereal an option. I'll have cheese or leftover steak or tuna or just about anything other than cereal. As a result, I have a great time when I'm on the road, because overseas having something other than cereal is the norm, so I don't weep when faced with a table full of olives and cheese, or curried lentils and idli, or rice and preserved vegetables.

So fear not; I was not dissing the great traditions of the American breakfast table, simply deriding soggy bowls of Count Chocula or corn flakes.

Mataam al Mataam, a 24 hour Assyrian restaurant at the corner of Lawrence and Kedzie, has several signs stating, " Lost our lease without cause". They are moving half a block west to 3222 W. Lawrence. I really like this restaurant, and always seem to forget about it when I am enumerating (very) late night dining options. I am glad they are re-opening at a new location.