Food Artisans: Mina Harissa   [Photograph: Stephanie Klose]
What ketchup is to the States, salsa is to Mexico, and
chimichurri is to Argentina, the red pepper-based sauce harissa
is to Morocco: the national condiment that can be found in
almost every household and is eaten with a wide range of foods.
"I use our harissa on everything and anything savory," says Mina
Kallamni of Mina Harissa. "It can be used as a sauce, dip,
spread or drizzled on top of nearly any dish. In the mornings I
have it with my egg whites or I just put a few tsp on a small
plate with some Moroccan olives and olive oil and use it as a
dip for my baguette."  Mina's son, Fouad, explains that his
mother went to cooking school in Paris before moving to New York
and becoming a personal chef. When she started thinking about
what to do with her retirement, she realized that there was no
harissa on the market that would appeal to mainstream America.
"The only ones for sale were in a tube with Arabic writing, and
they were oily and pasty," Foua