TishaB’Av, a fast day and day of mourning, occurs Saturday night through Sunday evening. The day marks great tragedies for the Jewish people. The destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem, the beginning of the First Crusade, the expulsion of the Jews from England, the expulsion of the Jews from Iberia and the deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto were among the tragic historic events that took place on that day on the Jewish calendar.

Since one is supposed to abstain from food and drink, various Jewish cultures have come up with recipes for the meal before the fast. They are always meatless as the nine days prior to Tisha B’Av are solemn and mournful, marking the period between the breaching of the Temple walls and its actual destruction.

The Jews of Libya in North Africa used okra which originated in Ethiopia. Okra is a member of the mallow family and is related to cotton. It is a highly nutritious vegetable containing dietary fibre, protein,iron, calcium and B vitamins. It is a staple of North African, Middle Eastern and Indian food and is found also in Italian, Spanish, and South American cuisine.It made its way to the American South via the slave trade where it has    become common in regional cooking.

Locally many Asian or Indian food stores carry fresh okra and at times it can be found fresh in local supermarkets. It is also available frozen and can be used in place of fresh in most recipes.

In Libya this following dish combined with tomato sauce and onions was considered a food of mourning and eaten before Tisha B’Av. Bamia is the Arabic word for okra.

Bamia with Tomatoes (from My Jewish Learning), serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon caraway
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried dill
6 ounces tomato paste (small can)
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cups fresh okra, left whole with stem end trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan.
2. Add okra, toss to coat and cook for 3-5 minutes.
3. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes, until onion begins to soften.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, lemon juice, sugar and spices and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. If mixture starts to look dry, ad water a few tablespoons at a time.
6. Serve hot over rice

NOTES  One teaspoon of parve chicken broth can be added for extra flavor. Some cayenne pepper also enhances the flavor with extra spice when the dish is not served before the fast. This dish goes well with fish to make a complete meal.