Moroccan Cuisine

While spices have been imported to Morocco for thousands of years, many commonly-used raw ingredients are home-grown: mint and olives from Meknes, oranges and lemons from sunny Fez, prickly pear from Casablanca and shad from the Sebou river. Also cultivated in Morocco are pomegranates, almonds, dates, walnuts, chestnuts, honey, barley, cherries and melon. Seafood is abundant along the Atlantic coast while lamb and poultry are raised on higher ground.
The Moroccans are quick to point out that the best meals are found not in the restaurants but in the homes. In this land of good and abundant food, the emphasis is clearly on preparing your own. It is worth mentioning that women do virtually all of the cooking in this very traditional country.
Key Ingredients
Moroccan cuisine is rich in spices, only natural when you consider the ages-old spice trade from Arabia to North Africa. Spices here are used to enhance, not mask, the flavor of food. The following spices are among the most commonly used.
cinnamon
found in bisteeya, couscous and many desserts

cumin
ground cumin is among the most flavorful spices used and is common in meats, lamb and chicken

turmeric
always found in harira soup, a rich, hearty soup which is the evening meal during Ramadan

ginger
found in many tagines (stews)

cayenne
popular in the dishes of southern Morocco

paprika
usually in tomato dishes and vegetable tagines

anise seed
found in breads and cookies

esame seed
used in breads, desserts and as a garnish for savory dishes saffron

black pepper
Spices found with less frequency in Moroccan cuisine include allspice, caraway, cloves, coriander

seeds and licorice.
Ras el hanout is a mixture of many spices (often 20 to 30) which is used to flavor dishes as well.
Herbs also play an important role in Moroccan food, chief among them the following:

parsley
a liberal sprinkling is used in tagines

green coriander
the leaves, not the seeds, are often used in tagines to give them a unique flavor

marjoram, grey verbena and mint
often used in teas

fragrant waters
orange flower water and rosewater are used in cakes, sweets, tagines and salads

basil
The Moroccan table also makes good use of the following ingredients:

onions
Spanish onions are popular

garlic
often used in honey dishes to balance the flavor

lemons
especially pickled lemons

eggs
a very popular element; curdled eggs are used in bisteeya, while vegetables and chicken are often coated with eggs

honey
used in glazed dishes, desserts, poultry stuffings and tagines

couscous
the grain as well as the dish is ubiquitous

chick-peas
used in hummus, couscous dishes and tagines

bread
heavier Arab bread and the lighter pita bread are both edible and functional when eating with the fingers

olives

buttermilk





Moroccan Favorites

You are probably quite likely to find the following items at a Moroccan diffa, or banquet. If so, consider yourself lucky, for you'll be eating some of the most delicious food around. If invitations are in short supply, you can always prepare them yourself at home.

Salads
A fresh, cool salad is often served at the start of a meal. Among the most commonly served are a tomato and green pepper salad (similar to the Spanish gazpacho), a mixed herb salad, eggplant salad or a salad redolent with oranges, which the Moroccans grow in large quantity.

Bisteeya
This traditional savory pastry is made in three layers: a layer of shredded chicken is topped with eggs which are curdled in a lemony onion sauce and further topped with a dusting of sweetened almonds. The whole is enclosed in tissue-thin pastry called warka and topped by a layer of cinnamon and sugar. It is believed that this fine pastry (similar to the pastry used for Chinese spring rolls) came from the Persians, who likely learned to prepare it from the Chinese.

Couscous
These are fine semolina grains which are plumped by steaming them over a simmering stew. The grains are then piled on a large platter, with the stew heaped on top. This is a classic Berber dish which has seen many interpretations. Traditionally, couscous is served for Friday lunch or for special occasions. It is never a main dish, rather it is served as the last dish at the end of a meal. A "couscous of seven vegetables" is common in Fez, where seven is considered a lucky number. The seven "lucky" vegetables are onions, pumpkin, zucchini, turnips, chili peppers, carrots and tomatoes.

Fish
Both fresh and salt water fish grace the Moroccan table. While it is commonly prepared as a stew, it is sometimes fried and often stuffed. A popular fish tagine, which is prepared with potatoes, tomatoes and green peppers, shows a strong Andalusian influence. The Moroccans believe that in a tagine, the sauce is everything!

Poultry
Some of the tastiest dishes in Moroccan cookery involve chicken, which can be steamed, broiled or fried and is often accompanied with vegetables. Chicken with lemon and olives is the classic preparation, while a chicken tagine cooked with butter, onions, pepper, saffron, chick-peas, almonds and lemon is also popular. Chickens are also prepared stuffed with raisins, almonds, rice or eggs, but when you consider the experimental nature of Moroccan cooks, perhaps it's all of the above!

Meat
Lamb is king on the Moroccan table, especially roasted lamb, which is as tender and flavorful as you will find. It can also be braised, browned, steamed or served on skewers, the latter commonly known as shish kebab. Kefta is lamb or beef which has been generously spiced, then rolled into the shape of a sausage, placed on a skewer and broiled; when it is rolled into meatballs, it is used in tagines. Lamb tagines are prepared with a cornucopia of vegetables and some even use fruit.

Desserts
Sweets aren't always served at the end of a Moroccan meal, but when they are, it might well be one of the following: "gazelle's horns" are a croissant-like pastry which is stuffed with almond paste and topped with sugar, while honey cakes are pretzel-shaped pieces of dough which are deep-fried, dipped into a piping-hot pot of honey and then sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Tea
Moroccan tea may be the main reason why desserts are an uncommon treat after a meal: this tea IS dessert! Green tea is steeped and then laced with sugar and fresh spearmint. The resulting brew is a minty, syrupy-sweet taste which isn't for everyone.