Moroccan cuisine

Moroccan cuisine is the food of Morocco, shaped by many cultures and nations over hundreds of years. It is a mix of Arab, Berber, Andalusi, Mediterranean, and African foods, with just a little European (French and Spanish) influence. Eating together and sharing meals is an important part of life, and serving tea is a special way to welcome guests.

The way people in Morocco eat and share food helps bring families and friends closer. Like the food from other parts of Maghrebi cuisine, Moroccan dishes are more similar to Middle Eastern cuisine than to foods from the rest of Africa.

Experts say the oldest parts of Moroccan cooking that we still use today started around the 7th century BC. This shows how long and rich the history of this delicious food really is.

History

See also: Agriculture in Morocco

Long ago, around the 7th century BC, places like Sala and Kerne along the coast grew olives and made wine. During the time of the Romans, factories in places such as Cotta and Lixus made a special fish sauce called garum.

Later, in the 12th century, special tools for making couscous were found in old ruins in Igiliz, in the Sous valley of Morocco. A food writer named Charles Perry says that couscous began with the Berbers in Algeria and Morocco.

Ingredients

Morocco grows many fruits and vegetables from the Mediterranean area, along with some tropical foods like snails. Common meats in Moroccan food include beef, goat, mutton and lamb, chicken, and seafood. These meats are often flavored with preserved lemon, argan oil, preserved butter (smen), olive oil, and dried fruits.

The main grains used in Moroccan cooking are rice and wheat, which are made into bread and couscous. In the past, barley was also a common grain, especially in the southern part of the country. Grapes are usually eaten fresh as a dessert. While butter and animal fat were traditionally used for cooking, olive oil is now more commonly used. Butter can be used fresh, called zebda, or preserved, called smen.

Flavorings

Moroccan food uses many spices and a special mix called ras el hanout. Some spices came from far away through the Arabs, bringing in Persian and Arabic styles. But many ingredients, like saffron from Talaouine, mint and olives from Meknes, and oranges and lemons from Fes, grow right in Morocco and are sent to other places too. After the Idrissids started Fes in 789, more spices arrived from the east. Popular spices include cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, paprika, coriander, mace, cloves, fennel, anise, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, fenugreek, caraway, black pepper and sesame seeds. Up to twenty-seven spices can be mixed together for the Moroccan spice blend ras el hanout.

Common herbs in Moroccan cooking include mint, parsley, coriander, oregano, peppermint, marjoram, verbena, sage and bay laurel.

Structure of meals

A typical Moroccan lunch starts with both hot and cold salads. After that, you might have a special dish called a tagine or something called dwaz. For fancy meals, people often serve lamb, chicken, or couscous with meat and vegetables on top. In Morocco, people usually eat with their hands and use bread to help. They don’t eat pork or drink alcohol because of their religious traditions.

tagine religious restrictions

Main dishes

See also: List of Moroccan dishes

One of the most famous Moroccan dishes is couscous. Lamb is the meat most often eaten in Morocco, usually cooked in a special pot called a tagine with many vegetables. Chicken is also used in tagines or roasted. Other ingredients like plums, boiled eggs, and lemon are added too. The tagine has a special taste from spices such as saffron, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cilantro, as well as ground red pepper.

Moroccan food also includes many seafood dishes. European pilchard is caught, though in smaller amounts now. Other fish you might find include mackerel, anchovy, sardinella, and horse mackerel.

Other well-known Moroccan dishes are pastilla (also called basteeya or bestilla), tanjia, and rfissa.

Bread is an important part of meals in Morocco. The bread is made from durum wheat semolina and is called khobz. Bakeries are found everywhere, and fresh bread is a everyday food in cities, towns, and villages. The most common types are whole-grain bread, white-flour bread, or baguettes. There are also flat breads and pulled, unleavened pan-fried breads.

Soups

Harira, a hearty soup, is enjoyed in winter to stay warm and is often served for dinner. People usually eat it with plain bread or with dates during the month of Ramadan. Another cold-weather favorite is Bissara, a broad bean soup.

Beboush is a special and slightly spicy snail soup in Moroccan cooking. It is made by cooking snails in a flavorful broth with spices like cumin, coriander, and mint.

Salads

Salads in Moroccan cuisine can be made with raw or cooked vegetables and can be served hot or cold. One popular salad is zaalouk, which is made from aubergine and tomato. Another is taktouka, a mix of tomatoes, smoked green peppers, garlic, and spices. There is also a salad called bakoula or khoubiza, which uses braised mallow leaves, but sometimes spinach or arugula, along with parsley, cilantro, lemon, olive oil, and olives.

Desserts

Usually, fresh fruits are served at the end of a meal instead of cooked desserts. One popular dessert is kaab el ghzal, a pastry filled with almond paste and covered in sugar. Another is halwa chebakia, which is dough shaped like pretzels, fried, soaked in honey, and sprinkled with sesame seeds; it is often eaten during Ramadan. Jowhara is a dessert from Fes made with fried waraq pastry, cream, and toasted almond slices. Coconut fudge cakes, called 'zucre coco', are also enjoyed.

Seafood

See also: Fishing industry in Morocco

Morocco has a long coastline with plenty of fish. One important fish is the sardine, as Morocco exports the most sardines in the world. Sardines were once used to make a special food called garum in the old city of Lixus.

At fish markets in Morocco, you can find many types of seafood like sole, swordfish, tuna, turbot, mackerel, shrimp, conger eel, skate, red snapper, spider crab, lobster, and many mollusks.

Seafood in Morocco is often used in dishes such as tajines, bastilla, briouat, and paella.

Drinks

Main article: Maghrebi mint tea

The most popular drink in Morocco is Moroccan mint tea, called atay. Making this tea is considered an art, and sharing it with friends and family is a daily tradition. The way the tea is poured is very important. Moroccan tea pots have long, curved spouts that help pour the tea evenly into small glasses. The glasses are filled in two steps to get the best taste. People in Morocco enjoy their tea with bubbles, so the teapot is held high while pouring. The tea is usually served with hard sugar cubes. Fresh orange juice is also common and easy to find because Morocco has many oranges and tangerines.

Snacks and fast food

Selling fast food in the street has been a long-standing tradition, especially at Djemaa el Fna square in Marrakesh. Ma'quda, a potato fritter, is popular among students and people with limited means, especially in Fes. Since the 1980s, new snack restaurants have appeared, mainly in the north, serving bocadillos, which are sandwiches influenced by Spanish cuisine.

Dairy product shops, known locally as mhlaba, can be found all over the country. These shops sell many types of dairy products, juices, smoothies, and local foods such as bocadillos, msemmen, and harcha. Another popular and affordable street sandwich is called khanz u-bnīn, meaning "stinky and delicious." Snails served in their juices are also a common street food in Morocco, eaten with a toothpick. In the late 1990s, several well-known fast-food brands opened restaurants in big cities.

Chefs

Some people have helped share Moroccan food with more people around the world. TV chef Choumicha and Al-Amīn al-Hajj Mustafa an-Nakīr, who cooked for the former king of Morocco Hassan II, are examples.

Fatéma Hal opened a restaurant in Paris called Mansouria. She has been called one of the most famous people to spread the word about Moroccan food by Le Figaro.