#khobz

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A plate of light brown bumpy flatbread with blackened spots, surrounded by za'tar and green olives. End ID]

خبز طابون / Khobz taboon (Palestinian flatbread)

Khobz taboon ("taboon bread") is a soft, chewy Palestinian flatbread. It may be eaten with olive oil and za'tar, but it is best known as the base of مسخن (musakhkhan), where it is topped with spiced aromatics and perhaps chicken.

Khobz taboon gets its name from the vessel it is traditionally cooked in—an outdoor, shallow conical oven with an opening at the top and a clay or metal cover to trap heat. Taboons may also have an opening at the side through which the fire can be stoked, especially in the east of Palestine. These ovens were historically made from a mixture of local clay and hay, but have more recently also been constructed from clay treated to be sturdier, or from metal.

A taboon is used by packing flammable material, such as hay, fabric, animal dung, wood, and charcoal, around the outside of the oven and letting it burn overnight; the fire transfers thermal energy to the clay, and to the river stones, sand, glass, or flint stones (صوان, "ṣawwān") that form the base of the oven. The ash is then brushed away, and the flattened dough is placed on the stones or stuck to the walls of the oven to cook. The clay and stones will continue to release thermal energy and cook things throughout the day. The clay and ash give a distinctive flavor to anything cooked inside the taboon, making this method a source of nostalgia for many people who have transitioned to cooking in indoor ovens.

Khobz taboon was traditionally made with whole wheat flour. Most people today use a blend of around two parts white flour to one part whole wheat, or else all white flour; they may even add milk or milk powder to ensure a very soft dough. This recipe uses a blend of flours to combine the nutty flavor of whole wheat dough with the pliancy of white dough. It also begins with an optional pre-ferment to mimic the traditional Palestinian method of including a piece of dough from the previous day's bread into each new batch (like a pâte fermentée) giving a rich and slightly sour flavor to the final bread. It calls for the use of rocks to imitate the bottom of a taboon; the rocks give the khobz its distinctive dimpled texture, and ensure that no interior pocket forms in the bread.

In the years following 2007, the siege Israel had imposed on Gaza caused a shortage of cooking gas that led to a resurgence in the use of taboons. The ovens were used to bake bread and to grill sweet potatoes during the time of their winter harvest. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israeli military forces repeatedly destroyed taboon ovens and assaulted villagers who tried to defend them, as Israeli settlers from nearby villages complained about the smoke that the ovens produced. Some of these ovens had been used to bake bread for entire families of 40 or more people. Palestinians continue to build, use, and defend these ovens, despite the fact that Israeli law de facto forbids Palestinians in the West Bank to build anything.

Today, Israel is deliberately targeting and destroying bakeries in refugee camps that had been supplying bread to tens of thousands of people in Gaza, continuing a long campaign of starvation of the Palestinian people.

Support Palestinian resistance by calling Elbit System's (Israel's primary weapons manufacturer) landlord; and donating to Palestine Action's bail fund.

Equipment:

A large, shallow mixing bowl, like a Moroccan qus'a

A large (12"), shallow clay cooking vessel, such as the bottom of a Moroccan tajine (one that is rated for very high temperatures), or a large baking tray

Assorted smooth river rocks of varying sizes, from 1 to 3" in diameter.

Make sure that your rocks have been thoroughly cleaned, and that they do not contain any fissures, cracks, or veins that could contain water (this water, once heated in the oven, could cause the rocks to crack open). Instead of river rocks, I used lava rocks designed for use in a clay tanoor. You just need something to provide thermal mass and give a bumpy texture.

Ingredients:

Makes 3 large breads.

For the pre-ferment:

140g whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

140g water

You may also use a pâte fermentée that you already have (just adjust the ratio of white to whole wheat flour added later accordingly), or a sourdough starter. The hydration of the starter doesn't matter, since you will be adding water by eye later.

For the bread:

330g bread flour or all-purpose flour

30g whole wheat flour

5g salt

Water

If you skipped the pâte fermentée step, add 170g (rather than 30g) of wheat flour at this stage, as well as 1/2 Tbsp of active dry yeast. I have not tested the recipe this way.

Instructions:

For the pâte fermentée:

1. Mix flour and yeast in a small mixing bowl. Add water and stir to combine. Cover and leave out at room temperature for a day, or in the refrigerator for up to three days. At the end of the rising time, it should be about one and a half times its original size.

For the bread:

This recipe makes a high hydration dough that will need techniques such as slapping and folding to knead effectively.

1. Mix flours and salt in a very large, shallow mixing bowl. Add your pâte fermentée and mix to combine.

2. Add water until the flour comes together into a soft, sticky dough and continue keading. Have a bowl of water on your workstation. Every time the dough starts to stick to your hands or the sides of the bowl, wet your hands and rinse down the side of the bowl with some water. This will gradually add water to the dough.

3. You will notice the dough growing smoother and laxer. At this point, start kneading by repeatedly folding the edges of the dough in towards the center. Do this by occasionally wetting your hands, then running a hand along the side of the bowl and under the edge of the dough to unstick it from the bowl; then fold. You will get stuck less often if you try to touch the dough as lightly and briefly as possible. Every few folds, dimple the surface of the dough all over with your fingertips. You will have been kneading for about 10 minutes at this point.

The dough should become more smooth and less bumpy—you will notice it holding its shape and becoming more stretchy as gluten forms. It should form into a ball when you fold the corners in and hold its shape for a minute, but then gradually expand to take the shape of the bowl. I added about 2 1/2 cups of water total (in dry conditions) during steps 2 and 3.

4. At this point, the dough is wet enough that the slap and fold method is the best way to knead. Wet your hands and again unstick the dough from the sides of the bowl. Hook your hands under the dough and quickly pull it all up into the air; fold the hanging bottom part of the dough under, and plop the dough back down, folding it on top of the part you plopped down earlier. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this continually for another few minutes.

5. When the dough is very smooth and lax, smear some olive oil on the sides of the bowl and under the dough, and pat some oil on top.

6. Cover the bowl and bulk ferment the dough at room temperature for 8 hours, or for 16-24 hours in the fridge. At the end of the rising time, you should see bubbles beginning to form on the surface of the dough.

To shape and bake:

1. Place a layer of rocks at the bottom of a clay cooking vessel or baking sheet. Put the sheet in the top third of the oven and preheat your oven to 550 °F (290 °C), or as hot as it will go.

2. Meanwhile, fold the edges of the risen dough over into the middle a few more times with damp hands. Pinch off a large piece of dough (about the size of two fists), and fold the sides over into the middle to make a neat packet.

3. Drop the packet of dough onto a heavily floured surface, and flip to flour both sides. Pat the dough flat, then throw it back and forth between your hands, catching the edge each time as you spin it through the air, like a pizza crust, to stretch it into a circle about 1/4" (1/2cm) thick with a diameter of about 10" (25cm).

You may also stretch and pat the dough out on a flat surface.

4. Remove the tray from the oven. Flip the dough circle over the back of your hand to transfer it and lay it down over the hot rocks. Re-stretch it into a circle, if necessary.

5. Place the tray back in the oven and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the top of the bread has golden brown spots. Repeat with each piece of dough, leaving the rocks in the oven for a few minutes between each one to allow them to come back up to temperature.

6. (Optional): Hold each flatbread directly over a gas flame for a minute or two to blacken a few spots and mimic the flavor that a wood-fired oven would give to your khobz.

You may also use a method similar to the dhungar technique to smoke your bread. Place each piece of bread one at a time into a large vessel with a closely fitting lid, alongside a small bowl. Light a piece of wood on fire and drop it into the bowl; then cover the vessel with the lid as you allow the wood to smoke for a minute or two.

[morethansalad]

Moroccan Bread / Khobz (Vegan)

[sylwiadomanska]

#multiplication #of #bread #marrocan #marrocos #khobz #food #africa #arab #marrakesh #vacation #art #of #eating (w: Place Jemâa el-Fna) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgHWRfHsqbc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[nogarlicnoonions]

Bakers make the world smell better 😁 . . #bread #freshbread #tannour #authenticbread #traditionalbread #khobz #flatbread #inthemorning #morning #everymorning #cematin #aupetitmatin #fire #orange https://www.instagram.com/p/CoOjRRHoTF9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[anissapierce]

If youre someone who likes the texture of bread that has a lot of soft fluff under the crust ... You can just eat a bite of the thing and then a bite of bread and the bread usually trumps the texture of the thing

[uyuniuyuniuyuni]

Khobz el Dar Algerian Semolina Bread - Yeast Bread Sprinkled with sesame seeds, Khobz el dar is an easy no-knead semolina bread from Algeria that is incredibly soft and tastes slightly sweet.

[harrissamir]

Yeast Bread - Khobz el Dar Algerian Semolina Bread Khobz el dar, a simple no-knead semolina bread from Algeria that is incredibly soft and has a slightly sweet flavor, is topped with sesame seeds.

[bobs--burgers--flipping]

Khobz Arabi /Khubus Arabic Flat Bread

[gothhabiba]

to what degree is hummus eaten in morocco? it must exist as lebanese food, like falafels, but does it exist as part of moroccan cuisine? my parents recently bought a thing of "moroccan-style" hummus from the grocery store and i can't tell if it's based on an actual dish from morocco or just tossing a moroccan spice mix into the hummus. it also had sweet potato for some reason*, which wasn't included in any of the recipe blogs i saw when i looked up moroccan hummus.

*it made it sweet. and honestly i kinda liked it. i might add some sweet potato the next time i make hummus.

No, in my experience hummus bi tahina not considered part of "Moroccan cuisine" by Moroccans. Just like falafel and khobz 'arabiyy ("pita"), it's considered Lebanese food (or at least, a Lebanese restaurant is where you're likely to eat it). The only time I have ever eaten hummus at home in Morocco, it was takeout from a Lebanese place! Imo anyone who claims to have a recipe for "Moroccan hummus" is lost in the sauce.

There might have been a Moroccan-style spice mix in the hummus, or, more likely, it was a bit of marketing to make the hummus sound sort of ~exotic~or ~authentic~ and Arab-coded while not mentioning the dirty word "Palestinian" (as I've seen Palestinians speculate before about this kind of marketing).

[atotaltaitaitale]

.

Bread

The local type of pita bread known as aish baladi (Egyptian Arabic: عيش بلدي) is a staple of Egyptian cuisine.

Interesting enough bread, in Egyptian Arabic, is called aish, which literally means life, rather than khobz, the word that other Arab-speakers use. The word reflects the centrality of bread here.

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A bowl full of a saucy lentil dish with a curved green chili for garnish. End ID]

العدس / L3des (Moroccan lentils)

Cumin, paprika, turmeric, and ginger complement the earthiness of the green lentils in this flavorful, filling dish.

This recipe is for a common, basic Moroccan home-cook preparation of lentils; other preparations also include diced potatoes, sun-dried cured meat (al guedid or al qadid / الݣديد or القديد), dried meat cooked in oil (al khli3 / الخليع), or squash.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Tip jar

Ingredients:

2 cups (375g) green lentils, soaked in cool water for about 40 minutes

1 large yellow onion, grated

4 cloves garlic, grated or chopped

1/2 Tbsp ground turmeric

1/2 Tbsp ground ginger

1/2 Tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 tsp black peppercorns, toasted and ground

1/2 Tbsp ground sweet paprika

1 Mediterannean bay leaf (laurel)

1 tomato, peeled and grated (about 1/2 cup)

1 Tbsp tomato paste (optional)

One bunch (1/2 cup) flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/3 cup (800mL) water

Ground roasted cumin, paprika, or cayenne pepper, to serve (optional)

Instructions:

1. Pick over lentils for stones or other debris. Soak them in enough cool water to cover.

2. If using whole spices, toast black peppercorns on medium in a dry skillet for a few minutes until fragrant. Set aside. Toast cumin for a minute or two until fragrant. Allow spices to cool. Grind peppercorns and cumin with a mortar and pestle or in a spice mill.

3. Quarter and grate the tomato flesh-side-first, leaving the skin behind. You can also peel the tomato by placing it for one minute in just-boiled water, then removing its skin (if skin does not come off easily, soak for another minute); then purée it in a blender. Grate the onion and garlic, or pulse in a food processor.

4. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large pot on medium. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley and cook, covered, for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add spices (turmeric, cumin, pepper, and paprika) and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

6. Add the tomato. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

7. Add the lentils and water. Bring to boil on high, then lower to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, 25-30 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil.

8. Simmer, uncovered, until the desired consistency is achieved. The dish should be very saucy, like a stew.

9. Add salt to taste. Serve with olive oil, sweet paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper at the table to top. Pair with a crusty bread, such as khobz.

Spice profiles vary somewhat for this dish, but typically include turmeric, ginger, and black pepper. Paprika and/or cumin are often added; sometimes, coriander or bay leaf is added as well.

Cooking methods also vary significantly. Some preparations cook a selection of the ingredients in oil before boiling, as I have called for; others add all ingredients to a pot and bring them to a boil together.

[morethansalad]

Aleppo Pepper Flatbread / Khobz bil Flefli (Vegan)

[ask-heta-dzayer]

Dzayer, matlou3 or baguette, choose

Algeria: " always been Metlou3, always will be. "

(tw: Propaganda)

Algeria: " look at it, how gorgeous! a national treasure."

[Notes: Algeria created metlou3 as we know it, at his very own image:

Although it is worth to mention that Algeria eats more baguette than France...

Les Algériens sont des mangeurs de pain! (sorry for the french non) but yes for Algeria, with baguettes he's playing, it's the carrier of the food, he doesn't even try with them. But Matlou3 is serious, it is the food. That's what i noticed today eating Guarantita in khobz, with matlou3, it'll compete with the filling's taste, but not with baguettes, which is rather bland. But yes, Drayer? he's metlou3 all the way, esp that he prefers healthy food and our baguettes contain too much ameliorant.]

[rosie-b]

Shelltering Others

Ch. 7: Bombshell (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

You can read the whole chapter below, or use the links to AO3 above!

Summary: Nino faces a snag in his plans to open Chat's last hint (and it's not from Chat's claws!)

For the first time since Monarch's victory, Nino had gotten a good night's sleep, waking up feeling tired but refreshed. It was comforting, somehow, to know that the identity hunt would be over as soon as Nino opened the little paper bag, which he’d put in his backpack last night.

Nino was planning to examine his last clue during lunch, in the boiler room. That was where Nino came up with all his best ideas (except for that one time) and it served as the base for the Resistance, too! The boiler room was becoming something of a good luck charm for Nino.

Speaking of the Resistance, Nino should probably schedule another meeting of the comrades soon, just so everyone knew he was serious about this group. So far, Nino had been too busy to think of an agenda for the next meeting, but after today, he was sure that would change!

But before Nino could open the last hint or schedule another Resistance meeting, he had to get ready for the day. Jumping out of bed, Nino hurried to get dressed, throwing on the first clean shirt he saw and nearly forgetting his headphones in his haste.

As he rushed through the house, Nino saw that his mother had prepared breakfast for her sons already — warm khobz, goat cheese, and Parisian honey, with fresh-squeezed orange juice to drink. Chris was already helping himself to a third or fourth large spoonful of honey, and as he was distracted by his younger brother’s attempt to attain diabetes, Nino found himself being handed a plate of food by his mother.

“You barely took the time to say goodbye to us yesterday,” she said, guiding Nino into a chair and setting down a folded napkin for him. “Today, you are going to take the time to eat all your food and hug your brother and I before leaving. Family is important, Nino, don’t forget it!”

Nino smiled as his brother crossed his arms and nodded, a bit of the honey he’d been having stuck to his lips. “Yeah! I mi—” A considering look on his face, Chris paused and licked the honey off his mouth. “I didn’t get to see you until the afternoon, and then you headed up to your room, anyway,” Chris said, pouting.

Nino dipped some bread in his honey and took a bite. “Sorry, little dude,” he said. “I had a lot going on yesterday. I might be busy after school again today, but maybe we can play a game together in the evening to make up for it, okay?”

Chris nodded, the hint of a smile peeking through his serious expression. “I like that idea,” he said happily.

Nino’s mother smiled. “Good for you two,” she said. “It’s nice to see my boys being friendly to each other. Now, remember to finish your meal on time, Nino, or you’ll be late for school!”

Nodding quickly, Nino stuffed a bit of the cheese into his bread and dipped it into the honey again as he finished eating. I’ll figure out the last clue soon, he thought to himself, and then I’ll find Chat Noir and make sure I’m the best friend he’s ever had!

  At school, Nino was distracted. He'd felt so sure of his plan earlier, but from the moment he stepped onto the school grounds, Nino had been hit with a wave of unease. Chat Noir had seemed confident that this hint would help Nino put everything together, as long as he really wanted to know who Chat Noir was.

And Nino did! But none of the past clues had really made Nino think he’d come close to figuring out Chat’s secret identity; what if this clue didn’t help Nino figure it out, either?

Nino ran the past clues through his mind, feeling jittery. The key to the janitor’s closet — did that mean Chat Noir knew Nino as a civilian? Did they go to the same school? Then there was the folded letter, with the clue that Chat Noir was in love with Marinette, the passionfruit macaron from the Dupain-Chengs, and finally Chat Noir not liking the Alliance rings (because he knew Adrien was being exploited).

Really, there wasn’t too much to go off of. If Chat Noir was friends with Adrien and Marinette, then he might have learned about the Incident with the janitor’s closet through them, explaining the key. After all, the odds that Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Chat Noir all attended the same school seemed pretty low, though Nino didn’t have Max and Markov to weigh in.

As for the letter — was it really any wonder that Chat Noir had fallen for Marinette? He liked strong girls with dark hair who could kick his butt, and Marinette fit the bill nicely. So, no surprises there. The handwriting was a bit of a shock, as was the folding, but it was likely done to purposefully add another layer of security to the letter as it passed hands from Chat to the janitor to Nino.

The passionfruit macaron was a sign of Chat’s unique cravings, but unfortunately, it didn’t do anything to reveal the secret identity of one person in a city of millions. Hundreds of people liked passionfruit, maybe even thousands, and nearly everyone liked macarons!

And then, not liking the Alliance rings was really just proof for Chat Noir being friends with Adrien. Knowing that Adrien felt comfortable sharing his secrets with Chat made Nino think that maybe the hero was even closer with Adrien than Nino was. Not for long, Nino swore to himself as he took a sip from the coffee he’d picked up at the Dupain-Chengs' just before school. He’d had a feeling that he would need it, though it was probably not helping Nino’s anxiety levels much.

He knew all the clues that Chat Noir had given him by heart, and none of them contained anything revealing! How could one more, obviously tiny clue really jog Nino’s brain enough to make him put all the pieces together? Maybe Nino would look at this ‘last clue’ and not come up with anything! Maybe he would need another dozen hints before he found out who Chat Noir was! And maybe Chat Noir would just give up on Nino and convince Ladybug to let Marinette become his confidant, just like Nino had told Alya to suggest to her!

Nino frowned and massaged his temples, trying to make himself calm down. Just because it seemed likely that Marinette would be able to figure out who Chat Noir was before Nino did didn’t mean it would happen that way, right? Even if Nino was beginning to think that Chat Noir would move on from being okay with having Nino as his confidant before he ever figured out what the last clue meant.

Last night, Chat Noir had sounded willing to wait for Nino to find out who the boy behind the mask was on his own schedule, Nino told himself. There was nothing to be worried about, really. If Chat was willing for Nino to take his time, than the only pressure Nino was under was his own! And most of that pressure was being blown out of proportion by his caffeinated and somehow still sleepy brain, so really, Nino should not be giving in to all this worry.

Nino took another long sip of coffee as Ms. Mendeleiev droned on in the background by the chalkboard. Distantly noting that he was bouncing his right knee under the desk, Nino wondered whether he was bothering Adrien. The heel of his shoe kept hitting the tile floor, bambambambambam, and Nino knew that if it wasn’t him making the noise, he’d be at least mildly distracted by it. Nino stole a glance at Adrien, but he seemed to be focused on the lesson, not looking distracted by Nino.

Adrien had seemed cautious when he met Nino that morning in front of the school. The smile he’d offered Nino seemed real, but it was more tentative than it usually was, and it seemed to shrink when Nino greeted him with his usual handshake and asked how his evening went. He’d murmured that it was good, but Adrien seemed a little sadder than usual to Nino all morning. Not even Alya and Marinette’s offer of a group study date for the physics quiz tomorrow had cheered him up.

Nino hoped Adrien was okay, that nothing bad had happened that he didn’t want to tell Nino about. Maybe, Nino thought, he should try to arrange a sleepover at his place (after he found out Chat Noir’s identity, of course) to cheer Adrien up!

Well. Actually, the chances of Gabriel allowing that to happen were slim to nil, and Nino’s offer would just remind Adrien of how strict his father was. Or worse, it would get his hopes up just to dash them to bits again.

Huffing in disappointment, Nino took another sip of his coffee, tilting his cup and slurping the last few inches down. Not really paying attention to where he was, Nino focused on extending the pleasant taste of his drink as long as he could, missing the class’s stares and giggles as the noise he was making disrupted the class.

Ms. Mendeleiev cleared her throat. “Nino Lahiffe, if you don’t stop that awful slurping sound, I will be taking away your drink so we can have order again in the classroom,” she said in a cross voice, her foot tapping in irritation on the floor.

Nino opened his eyes and blinked at his teacher, like he was just waking up. “Sorry, dude,” he said absently, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Ms. Mendeleiev stared for a moment, then sighed and turned back to the chalkboard.

As soon as she’d turned her attention away, Adrien leaned over and whispered in Nino’s ear, “Are you okay? You’re almost never this distracted in class, and you even left your cap at home! I feel kind of concerned about you,” Adrien said, worry shining in his eyes.

Nino turned, nearly bumping his head against Adrien’s. “Everything’s fine,” he responded in a voice a little too loud for a whisper. “I’m just waiting for lunch. I guess I’m more nervous than I thought,” he said, though there was no way Adrien would know what Nino was nervous about.

Somehow, Adrien looked like he understood, and Nino remembered that there was a physics quiz tomorrow that was probably saving him from suspicion.

“Ohhhh,” Adrien whispered, drawing out the syllable. “So that’s what’s going on. Okay, well, I’m sure you’ll figure it all out,” he said, patting Nino on the back. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help, though. And don’t worry! You’re doing great.”

Nino smiled, the significance of the conversation completely lost on him. “Thank you,” he said. “You’re right, there’s nothing for me to worry about!”

Nino turned his attention to the lecture, jotting down a few notes from what he’d understood of the lecture so far. Suddenly, he paused and slowly turned to face Adrien again.

“Hold on,” he asked Adrien in a panicked whisper. “Did you just say that...?” Nino looked at Adrien with a meaningful expression on his face, gaze fly up to the well-styled blond hair on his friend’s head.

Blanching, Adrien gulped. “Did I?” he asked, eyes wide open and both eyebrows raised. Sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead.

“I forgot my cap at home?!” Nino yelped, his hands flying up to his hair. Ms. Mendeleiev shot him a glare as she was forced to pause her lecture yet again.

“I’ve warned you before, Lahiffe. Detention,” she said, and Nino sulked as he sank back down into his seat, looking at Adrien, who was caught between a laugh and what looked like sympathy. Or disappointment. Probably with Ms. Mendeleiev’s totally uncool teaching, Nino brooded. She really was unfair.

    Lunchtime found Nino sneaking off to the boiler room with butterflies in his stomach and Chat Noir’s paper bag in his hands.

This had better not be an elaborate pun, Nino thought to distract himself from the queasiness he was feeling. If the ‘last clue’ is just a little stuffed cat, and I pull it out of the bag and it's holding a slip of paper that says, “The cat’s out of the bag!” with Chat’s name on the other side, I’m going to scream.

Reaching the little desk in the corner of the room, Nino flicked on the light and let out a deep breath before setting the bag on the table.

This is it, he thought, and a shiver ran down his spine. He unfolded the top of the bag. Just one more clue, Nino told himself as he reached down to the bag, ready to reach inside and pull out the last hint. Then this mission is over, and a new one begins. I know I’m ready, Nino thought. Just... five more seconds. He counted down in his head as his hand hovered over the bag’s opening.

Five. Four. Three. Two...

One.

The building shook above Nino, sending a cloud of dust down from the ceiling. In the dark corners of the room, the spiders cowered as their webs shook and fell under the weight of the dust and small chunks of ceiling that were falling.

Nino cocked an eyebrow at the sudden disturbance, pulling his hand back from the bag. Looking up, his jaw dropped as a series of cracks spread across the grey-painted building, dropping a large section of the ceiling down a few meters beyond Nino. The ceiling is falling! Nino realized, and his stomach churned.

Grabbing the paper bag and folding over the top quickly, Nino rushed out of the basement. He knew an akuma attack when he saw one, and this one seemed like the type where it was dangerous to stay in one place, especially when even the spiders seemed scared.

And the ceiling was falling. That might have been the biggest indicator.

I hope everyone gets out safe. And also that the spiders die, Nino thought as he raced up to the main part of the school, where students were running to find safe places to hide as the school crumbled around them.

“I am Bombshell!” a strong voice roared. “No one wants to save a historic building from condemnation, eh? Then maybe you’d like to see how Paris looks with no buildings at all! Take this!” the akuma shouted eagerly, launching what looked like a large grenade from his hand into the center of the Francois-Dupont schoolyard.

“Why is it always our school?” Nino muttered as he ran in the opposite direction, flinching as he heard a boom a dozen meters behind him.

Behind him, a dozen students cried out. Nino turned while he was running, looking to see if he could help them in any way. This akuma was causing almost as much damage as Strike Back, though that was technically a sentimonster.

It looked like most of the students were gathering in the courtyard, panicking and looking for their friends. Everyone was coated with a light dusting of grey ash, but nobody seemed to be having trouble breathing, and somehow, no one was trapped in the rubble. Maybe Monarch had made the akuma’s powers destructive, but not deadly to humans. Good for him, Nino thought sarcastically.

A second boom came from the street, and the west side of the school crumbled further. Nino could make out Chat Noir rushing toward the akuma, but it was large and seemingly impervious to Chat’s taunts and jabs with his baton. He needed help.

Still in the courtyard with the other students, Nino saw Marinette push to the edge of the huddle.

“Everyone!” she shouted. “You need to evacuate, now! Didn’t you learn anything from the akuma drill last week? You need to get away from the danger zone! Nino!” she called.

Nino found himself walking over to Marinette, gesturing at himself questioningly.

“You need to make sure they all get away from here. Make sure they’re at least four city blocks away from the fight,” she said as Chat Noir got thrown backwards into the heap of rubble that once was Ms. Bustier’s classroom.

“Got it,” he said, tightening his grip on the bag in his hands. “But why can’t you help lead us? Are you going somewhere?”

Marinette’s eyes darted over to Chat Noir, who had gotten up and was limping toward the huddle, eyes searching the crowd like he had someone to look for.

It seemed most of the school’s students had already evacuated before the damage was too severe, led by their teachers. But Ms. Mendeleiev was still in the huddle of trapped students, trying to get someone to calm down in her nasally voice. The remaining students were mostly young, and they were panicking in this unfamiliar situation, cut off from their friends.

“I... have to go, um, I need to powder my face,” Marinette said, cringing.

Nino blinked. “I don’t really know what that means,” he said. “But nothing can be more important than escaping right now. You agree, right?” he asked Chat Noir, who had seen Marinette and Nino and was walking over to them, a slight limp to his gait.

“Absolutely,” he said in a ragged voice. “Marinette, you have to stay safe! I can’t imagine what I would do if something happened to you,” he said, eyes pleading with Marinette.

Marinette faltered, her eyes caught by Chat Noir’s gaze. “I’ll be safe,” she insisted, but she didn’t sound sure of her words.

Nino sighed as his two friends stared into each other’s eyes. “Look, we’re running out of time. I don’t know what Chat did to distract the akuma—”

“I trapped it in the rubble with my baton,” he said, and a roar came from across the block. A thin metal object soared through air, shrinking as it fell towards Chat Noir.

Nino blanched as Chat Noir reached out and casually caught his baton. “Great,” he said. “He returned it to me!”

Nino groaned. “Okay, Chat, you take Marinette somewhere safe since she won’t go with the rest of us, and I’ll handle everyone else. We need to hurry,” Nino said as Bombshell’s fiery eyes came into view. “But you’re the only one who can make sure Marinette doesn’t run off someplace weird on her own, like she usually does during akumas.”

Chat Noir turned to Marinette, who shot a disgusted look at Nino for tattling. “You usually hide by yourself?!” Chat squawked, eyes widening in fear. “Marinette! You could get hurt!” he scolded as he scooped up a protesting Marinette and vaulted away with her, presumably to some place across the whole city to make sure she stayed out of danger. As they moved out of Nino’s view, he could hear the worried tones of Chat’s voice as he continued to fuss over Marinette.

Nino shook his head as he jogged over to a pile of bricks and climbed up on top of them. Around him, students were jostling to find an exit, now, tripping over fallen bricks and pieces of the balcony’s railing as they tried to push through the walls of debris that were trapping them.

“Everyone!” Nino shouted, and the crowd slowly stopped their panicked babble and turned to look at Nino, who felt his face growing hot. He didn’t know what to do, really, he wasn’t a leader like Marinette was. He should have pushed for her to stay, Nino realized. But she was safer wherever Chat Noir had put her.

Across the street, Bombshell charged towards a returning Chat Noir, who was followed hotly by Ladybug, with a severe frown on her face. Nino grinned in relief. Hopefully, the battle would be over soon! Well, probably after the akuma introduced whatever Miraculous power he’d been given. But still!

“Well, Mr. Lahiffe, are you going to say something, or are you just wasting our time?” Ms. Mendeleiev spat out, arms crossed as she looked up at Nino. While Nino, Marinette, and Chat Noir were talking, she’d tried to lead a group of students over the west wall, to no avail, and now she was even grumpier than before.

“Oh!” Nino waved his arms, careful not to lose his balance. “No, no, I’m not wasting time, I’m trying to help find a way out of here for us. We need to stop pushing and shoving each other while trying to find a path or we’ll be stuck here until the end of the battle! Now, look, I trust Ladybug as much as the next dude, but right now, we need to clear out of the danger zone, so that Ladybug and Chat Noir don’t have to worry about hurting civilians during the fight! This isn’t M. Pigeon,” Nino said, gesturing to the rubble around them. “This akuma is dangerous.”

“So, what are you gonna do about it?” one kid asked, rubbing his arm, which looked bruised.

Wobbling on the small stack of bricks, Nino spread his arms wide. “We need to find the safest parh,” he said, eyes scanning the crowd and then traveling over the walls of debris and still-standing bricks. “The back doors are, well, they don’t exist anymore, but there’s less unsafe rubble there than anywhere else. If we’re careful, it looks like we can climb over the sections of low wall still standing there and get out over the back part of the building. Did everyone hear me?” Nino asked.

A few kids in the back shook their heads, and Ms. Mendeleiev walked over to the back of the crowd and repeated Nino’s advice. Soon, the remaining students trapped in Francois-Dupont's debris were testing the sections of the remaining back wall for stability, helping others cross over and get to safety while the battle raged on in the streets behind them. Nino called Alya, who’d been part of the group of students who weren’t trapped by the school’s falling rubble, and she gave tips on where to go once the group got out of the debris.

Nino helped the youngest students, often having to lift the shortest ones over a high section of the wall or across a big gap. It took a long time, but finally, the battle was wrapping up as all of Francois-Dupont's students gathered in the park down a few blocks from where Bombshell was attacking.

Hugging Alya close to him, Nino watched as a swarm of red ladybugs flew across the city, tickling him as they swept over his shirt, turning it from gray to blue again and sweeping the dust off the rest of the students.

“You did a really good job out there,” Alya said approvingly. “Ladybug would be proud of you.”

Nino blushed. “Thanks, babe,” he said, brushing a kiss to his girlfriend’s forehead. “I hope Chat Noir will be, too.”

“I’m sure he is,” Alya agreed, but as she continued to praise Nino for putting up with Ms. Mendeleiev’s somewhat frustrating attempts to keep order as the students evacuated, Nino found himself unable to focus, a pale color creeping back into his face.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Nino gasped and then looked down, checking the ground for a small paper bag, maybe trampled, or maybe restored by the cure. Nothing.

“It’s gone,” Nino whispered, glancing up at Alya, who’d stopped talking and was looking at him in concern.

“What’s gone?” she asked, putting a hand on Nino’s shoulder.

“Chat Noir’s last clue,” Nino said, his mouth dry. “I lost the clue to Chat Noir’s identity.”

    That evening, a knock came on Nino’s window.

Nino lay in bed, one arm draped over his face. He’d been like that ever since he got back from the attack. School had been closed for the rest of the day, so he hadn’t even gotten the chance to go back and check for the bag there.

“I didn’t figure it out,” Nino mumbled, hoping that Chat Noir’s advanced hearing would work well enough for the message to get across to the hero on the other side of the glass. “I lost the clue during the akuma attack. I’m sorry,” Nino choked out, a tear running down his face. “Maybe fate’s just telling us that I’m not right for the job.”

There was silence from the window, and then the shadow that had fallen across Nino’s face when Chat Noir arrived shrunk back. Nino took in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry,” he repeated as he raised his arm and looked up at the empty window. Maybe it was better this way. Or maybe things would seem less bleak in the morning, and Chat Noir would give Nino another chance. After all, the last clue probably wasn’t decipherable to anyone but Nino... probably.

Suddenly, a small black cat-being phased through the window and flew in front of Nino’s face, hovering over his bed.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” the cat-being said said, crossing its arms and frowning at Nino, fangs sharp and white.

Nino stared. “You’re Chat Noir’s kwami,” he whispered, astonished.

The little cat sniffed. “The name’s Plagg,” he said. “I’m going to assume you don’t have any cheese to offer me and get on with the message. You’re like a fresh ball of mozzarella,” he said to Nino, gesturing grandly with one little arm.

Nino blinked at Plagg. “Excuse me?” he asked, not sure whether he should be offended or not.

“You’ve got potential,” Plagg said. “The problem is that you’re too young, too immature. You look at any mold as being catastrophic. And no, that wasn’t a pun.

“The thing about mold, my good mozzarella, is that it’s what adds flavor to cheese. It’s what transforms a boring vat of milk into the most delicious camembert, done properly, of course. You’re experiencing a setback right now, but that’s what will help you become a more scrumptious, gooey, pungent cheese in the future. Does that make sense?” Plagg asked, looking a bit bored with the message.

Surprisingly, though it did make sense, Nino thought, and he nodded slowly. “You mean that I’m overreacting. I can still become Chat’s confidant,” he said questioningly. “Even though I lost his clue? I’ll be more careful in the future, but... shouldn’t I have been more careful? It’s my fault that I lost Chat’s clue, and this is the second time it’s happened, or almost happened,” Nino said, thinking about the time he dropped the first litter from Chat Noir.

Plagg shrugged, hovering in the air in front of Nino. “That would be ideal,” he said, “But even the most well-crafted cheese gets a bad spot of mold sometimes. It’s not the end of all things, as long as it’s small enough to cut off. But, kid, what you did today was nowhere near as bad as you thought it was. Remind me, what did you do during the battle?”

“I dropped the bag while I was escaping and I didn’t even notice,” Nino said glumly, looking at Plagg and wondering what the kwami had to say about this.

“You did not,” Plagg said. “Remember, I was there for all of this. I saw the moment it happened, through Chat Noir’s eyes. You didn’t drop the bag because you were trying to save yourself,” Plagg said. “You dropped it because you were focused on saving those students who were trapped in the rubble. Because of you, almost a hundred students were able to escape the battle zone before the school suffered any more damage. And it did suffer more of it, just minutes after you all escaped. But everyone was safe, thanks largely to you.”

Nino nodded at Plagg, feeling something warm blossom in his chest as he listened to the kwami.

“So you were too busy acting heroic to hold on to the bag,” Plagg went on. “Big deal. Did you really think my holder wasn’t prepared for something like this? He knows you’ve got some kind of noisy brother always looking for attention. Chris could’ve busted into your room and opened the bag himself before you got the chance to. Chat Noir knew that,” Plagg said. “That clue you dropped was purposefully vague, it could have been anything, like a fresh cheese curd ball. No one is going to figure out his identity from it, except for you. Now, if you’ll just agree, I’ll head back outside, Chat Noir will transform, and then we’ll give you the real last clue. Okay?”

Feeling touched, Nino nodded, nostrils flaring as he breathed deeply and tried not to cry. “Mm-hmm,” he agreed. Swallowing, Nino managed to get out a small, “Thanks.”

Plagg waved an arm dismissively. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Now clean up those red eyes of yours, Chat Noir will be here in a minute.”

The kwami zipped away to the window, phasing through it and flying up to the roof, where Chat Noir was presumably waiting, untransformed.

Nino sniffed. He couldn’t possibly deserve this much trust and help, he thought. Chat Noir was the nicest person Nino had ever met.

A few minutes later, Chat Noir was standing in the middle of Nino’s room, the window closed again behind him.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that attack today,” Chat Noir said, awkwardly shifting the paper bag in his hands. “I wish Ladybug and I had a lead on who Monarch is, so we could make sure nothing like this would ever happen again. And even though we don’t, I should have stayed around to help you and the other students,” Chat Noir said remorsefully.

Nino shook his head. “No, don’t be sorry, dude,” he said, his voice still tight from almost crying. “You had to fight the akuma. In the end, that did more good than anything I did.”

“That’s not true,” Chat Noir said softly. “You made sure no one had to deal with their injuries alone. Ladybug’s cure only affects the physical damage, not the mental stuff. Hopefully, a lot of people will feel a lot less alone and hurt because of what you did today. I heard about it all,” the hero continued. “You came up with the plan to evacuate, you helped Léo and the other youngest students get over the wall safely, you stayed in the blast zone and kept helping everyone even when it was clear that Bombshell would head back to the school and attack it again. You were turtle-y heroic, Nino,” Chat Noir said, a smile on his face. “I have to thank you for doing so much to help Paris today.”

Nino blushed, embarrassed. “You’re welcome, dude,’ he said, looking down and fiddling with his bracelets. “I still think you did more, but I was glad that I could do something to help, today.”

After a few moments had passed in comfortable silence, Chat Noir cleared his throat, looking over at Nino.

“So. Are you ready for your last hint this time?” he asked, holding a pose that Nino thought might be uncomfortable but looked casual enough.

Nino nodded and stepped closer, looking at the bag in Chat Noir’s hands. The folds looked fresh and crisp, like the ones in Chat Noir’s first letter.

“I am,” he said. “Do you think I should wait to open it, or do you want to see me try and put it all together?”

Chat Noir blinked, looking like he hadn’t considered this. Tilting his head, he considered Nino’s question, tail swishing behind him as he thought.

“What if we try a bit of both?” he asked cryptically. “I’ll go back out on the roof while you open it, and Plagg will tell me once you’ve figured it out. Or, if you still need another hint, that’s okay, too! I want you to put it together without my help, I think,” Chat Noir admitted. “So that I know it’s really your choice.”

Nino was surprised, but he supposed that made some sense. Chat Noir had been eager for Nino to find out, but he also seemed to think that Nino should only find out if he wanted to. If putting the pieces together on his own would convince Chat Noir of that, then this plan was fine by Nino.

“All right,” Nino said, taking the bag from Chat Noir when he held it out hesitantly.

Chat Noir opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again. “Um,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Good luck, Nino.” Stepping back towards the window, Chat Noir pulled the sash open and stepped outside, waving one last time before he closed the window and headed to the roof. A few moments later, the same cat-being from earlier flew into Nino’s room.

“Hurry up,” he told Nino, his tail lashing anxiously. “The suspense is giving me indigestion. Trust me, you don’t want to know what that does to an all-powerful kwami.”

The corner of Nino’s lips twitched up into a smile. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I was just waiting on you.”

And, not wanting to waste any time, he reached into the bag and pulled out Chat Noir’s final hint.

[drifelle49]

Pain à l'orge / khobz ch3ir - Les Joyaux de Sherazade