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| Moroccan Cuisine, Recipes | Mediterranean Diet |
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By comparison to most other African countries, Morocco’s resources are more than enough to feed its population. Despite close proximity to the desert, there are vast fertile plains suitable for a variety of food crops. As Mauritania, the Romans prized Morocco as an imperial food store for the production of wheat and olive oil. Today, fruits and vegetables are cultivated - namely oranges, lemons, dates, olives, figs, melons, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. And while beef is often in short supply, lamb and seafood are plentiful. The Moroccans have experimented with all of these ingredients, and with each new seasoning that came their way.
A long history of civilization has contributed to the dynamic flavor of Moroccan cuisine. Like the art and culture, Moroccan cooking is a sensual merging of African, Arabian, and European flavors. Under the influences of Spain and France in modern times, Morocco has been referred to as “the fourth shore of Europe.” Two of Morocco’s most famous foods have Berber beginnings. Tajine takes its name from the distinctive cone lidded pot in which it is cooked and served. Couscous is the Moroccan dietary staple made from fine grained semolina wheat. But the traditional development of Moroccan cuisine is traced back to the arrival of the Arabs in the 7th century.
The use of the spices saffron, cumin, cardamom, and coriander are attributed to early Islamic settlement of the region. From the Arabian peninsula to the southern Spain, the Arabs crossed the African continent with their culinary expertise in tow. Eight hundred yeas later, upon relocation to Morocco after the Reconquest, the Moors reintroduced a cuisine that had further evolved under Andalusian skies.
Moroccan cooking is a pleasing mix of the sweet and the savory. Colorful, perfumed, and elegantly presented, a Moroccan meal is a memorable experience even before the first bite. Most are familiar with couscous. But Moroccan specialties often take the form of stews in such combinations as chicken with raisins, grapes, or almonds; lamb with prunes or quinces; beef with apples; quail with dried apricots; and duck with figs or dates. Tajines, as they are know, often are simmered in a select blend of the sweet spices cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and honey.
| Moroccan Cooking and Recipes | Mediterranean Diet | © Reda Lemniai K'z :: link > |
Savory pastries, soups, and salads are also a part of the cuisine. The meat pastry, bastilla, or b’stiyyah, is a delicious favorite filled with chopped meat, eggs, parsley, and ground almonds. It may also be stuffed with meat and onions, when it is then called mrouzia. Similar but smaller, the appetizer known as briouate is a deep-fried triangle shaped pastry, filled with meat and almonds, or spicy merquez, lamb sausages. A version of the merquez also contains lightly cooked egg, parsley, lemon juice, and a bit of tuna. Harira, typically served as a break-fast course during the month of Ramadan, is a traditional Moroccan soup with similarities to the Andalusian gazpacho.
Harira consists in a slow cooked brew of tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, onion, and garlic, thickened at the last few minutes with flour and egg. Moroccan salads typically combine chopped raw cucumber, tomato, and onions dressed with olive oil and vinegar, or may constituted of a single cooked vegetable such as carrot, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. Sweets, essential delights of the Moroccan palette, are typically made from almonds, honey, eggs, and other ingredients. Mint tea is served with every meal.
As with all great cuisines, some of the finest examples are found in the private homes of the country. Traditionally, Moroccan’s take their meals in an informal dining space, set with low-lying divans and sufficiently large coffee tables on which the meal platters are placed. Experiencing a Moroccan repast in one’s own home is a matter of finding a good recipe and a thick, high cushion. Lay the table with ornate and shapely silverware, a bowl of fresh olives, a cooked vegetable salad dressed with olive oil, and a basket of salted flat bread. Dig in, but remember to use your right hand.
Mediterranean Kitchen, Moroccan Recipes |
Mediterranean Diet Recipes |
Cooking Tour of Morocco, Travel Morocco |
