The scents of the souk
Rich in spices, the local cuisine makes good use of cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, paprika, coriander, saffron, cloves, fennel, anise, nutmeg, pepper, fenugreek, caraway and sesame seeds. Twenty-seven spices are traditionally combined to create the famous ras-el-hanout (literally "at the head of the grocery store"). They range from the most common spices, such as cinnamon or cumin, to the most unusual, such as dried rosebuds or iris root powder. The most common herbs include mint, parsley, coriander, oregano, peppermint, marjoram, verbena, sage and bay leaf. Although the local cuisine is not very spicy, harissa - a fierce paste of chili and garlic - is popular. Outside of the Sahara and the Atlas Mountains, Morocco has a generally mild climate throughout the year, offering a variety of produce: eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, potato, zucchini, pumpkin, cucumber, carrot, turnip, artichoke, onion, but also all kinds of fruits, including citrus fruits (lemon, orange, tangerine), plums, figs, dates, or even apricots and grapes, which are used both in savory and sweet dishes. Candied lemons, preserved in salt and water, are appreciated for their particularly strong taste. Olives and olive oil are also essential to Moroccan cuisine. Cereals such as wheat, barley, rice, as well as legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans and split peas), are used extensively. Lamb and mutton are very common, as well as beef and chicken, and to a lesser extent, duck or pigeon. Snails - simmered in a spicy sauce - are among the most popular market snacks in Morocco. With almost 3,000 km of coastline between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, fish and seafood abound in Moroccan cuisine: sole, swordfish, tuna, mackerel, eel, snapper, crab, shrimp, lobster, as well as all kinds of mollusks. The kingdom is also the world's largest exporter of sardines. The souks can be a great opportunity to discover many products to bring back in your luggage (spices, preserves, dry goods, etc.) at very attractive prices. However, beware of small deceptions, such as fake saffron, which is actually carnation petals, a vaguely aromatic orange flower. A saffron pistil is a long filament of a unique dark red. Among the many souks to discover, let's mention of course the souks of Marrakech and Essaouira, while the more gourmand ones will be able to stroll in front of the many stands overflowing with tasty dishes on the Place Jemaa el-Fna, in Marrakech. An essential pillar of Islam, the month of Ramadan is strictly observed in Morocco. From sunrise to sunset, the practitioner must not eat or drink. Its date changes every year according to the new moon, but its duration is always about 30 days. At sunset, one breaks the fast (ftour or iftar) with rather rich snacks such as soups, honey pastries or dates. This snack allows to wait for the real dinner, which takes place later in the night. Ramadan ends with Eid el-Fitr (literally "Feast of the Breaking").
The basics of Moroccan cuisine
In Morocco, the menu often begins with appetizers, especially salads or savory pastries. While chlada is a fresh mixture of tomato, cucumber and parsley, there are many cooked salads, served cold or warm, containing tomato, bell bell pepper, eggplant, beet or potato and carrot, enhanced with olive oil and aromatic herbs. The taktouka, for example, is a preparation based on tomato, bell pepper and onion confit. The matbukha is similar, but very spicy. Let's also mention the zaalouk, which is similar to eggplant and tomato caviar. Sweet and sour is very common here, with orange and carrot salads, flavored with cumin, cinnamon and coriander. Soups are very popular, such as harira, traditionally served during Ramadan, made of meat and offal, onions, saffron, chickpeas or lentils, all accompanied by rice, tomato and coriander. Chorba is very similar, but with the addition of vermicelli. Simpler, the bissara (or tamarakt) is a very thick soup with split peas or beans. The chakchouka is a compote of tomatoes and green peppers in which one breaks some eggs which cook in the boiling sauce, the whole served with bread. Many savory pastries are made with brick paper, a kind of very thin pancake, which becomes crispy after cooking. One thinks of the pastilla, a puff pastry that contains a stuffing based on poultry (chicken, guinea fowl, partridge or, more refined, pigeon), with onion, almond, scrambled egg and coriander. To decorate it, it is sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Some modern versions contain a seafood filling. Briouats are triangular turnovers usually filled with minced meat (beef or lamb), onions, preserved lemon, and sometimes cheese. The term "brik" - a distortion of the Turkish word bürek - is a turnover filled with tuna or hard-boiled egg. Makouda are fried potato croquettes with herbs. A typical street market snack, msemmen, is a kind of elastic, nutritious patty that is sometimes stuffed with a mixture of minced meat, onion, tomato and chili.
Couscous, tajines and grills
Emblem of the Moroccan cuisine, the couscous is obviously not to be presented anymore, so much it is known in France. It should be noted that the royal couscous is a French invention, which allowed the customers of the metropolis to taste several different meats with a vegetable sauce with "oriental" flavours. In reality, couscous is generally composed of one meat and several vegetables, served with semolina. There are about 140 varieties, which contain merguez, lamb, chicken or even meatballs, not to mention vegetarian versions. One can also enjoy a couscous with onions and caramelized raisins(t'faya), which also contains lamb, or a couscous belboula made of barley semolina. The couscous with khlii is a classic recipe, the only difference being that instead of fresh meat, khlii is added, lamb confit in its own fat, with a very strong taste. On the coasts, one also enjoys a variant with fish and seafood, finely spiced. Almonds, pistachios, dried fruits, candied lemons, pigeon or duck meat are also used in some couscous recipes. Another essential dish, the tagine designates both the recipe and the dish to prepare it. The meat (mutton, lamb, chicken, etc.) is stewed with spices, vegetables and sometimes fruit. Unlike couscous, a tagine contains very little liquid, except for the cooking juices of the food, and is served with bread and not semolina. There is of course the inevitable chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives as well as the mrouzia, a common tagine for the breaking of the Ramadan fast, made of lamb, almonds and prunes. Fish and seafood tagines (especially shrimp) are also popular. The tanjia, not to be confused with the tagine, is a dish made of mutton and spices that is simmered overnight in a clay pot in hot ashes. Another example is r'fissa, a roasted chicken flavored with fenugreek and saffron, served on a bed of patties(msemmen) that soak up the cooking juices of the chicken. Grilled meats, especially brochettes, are an inexpensive and very tasty snack. Merguez, made from beef and/or mutton, are obviously much better on the spot, as are keftas, spicy meatballs (lamb or/and beef), often grilled but also served with a tomato sauce with coriander. Not forgetting the mechoui, a whole lamb roasted on a spit for several hours until the meat melts in your mouth.
Desserts and drinks
Among the popular sweets in Morocco, we find of course the baghrir or crêpe mille-trous (very spongy pancake served hot with melted butter and honey), the chebakia (fried pastry in the shape of a rose soaked in syrup), the horns of gazelles (croissants made of shortcrust pastry filled with almond paste and orange blossom water), feqqas (crunchy almond cookies), ghriba (very crumbly cookies made from nuts or grated coconut) or makrouds (thin semolina bites filled with date paste, fried and soaked in syrup). The sfenj - which can be translated as "sponge" in Arabic - is simply a type of doughnut. The more classic meskouta is a simple crown-shaped cake flavored with orange juice. Originally from Greece and Turkey, the baklava is common in Morocco and is made of many layers of filo pastry, walnuts, pistachios and crushed almonds, which are soaked in syrup. Finally, the pastilla au lait is like a crispy brick pastry mille-feuille, topped with an orange blossom flavored milk cream. At the heart of social life in the Maghreb, mint tea is traditionally prepared by the head of the family and offered to guests as a sign of hospitality. Tea is consumed throughout the day at the slightest social interaction. Although the arrival of tea in the Maghreb - originally from China - is debatable, it is believed that the plant began to be consumed in the region in the late 18th century. Composed of green tea, fresh mint leaves, boiling water and lots of sugar, the proportions and brewing time can vary considerably. Unlike the rest of North Africa, Morocco was never part of the Ottoman Empire. As a result, coffee, a beverage much appreciated by the Turks, did not arrive in this country until the French protectorate. Today, most hotels and restaurants for tourists offer good coffee, although tea remains the most popular hot drink. Fruit juices are also popular, but beware that some are made with tap water, which is not drinkable in the country. Although Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol, Morocco remains quite flexible, especially for tourists, and it is possible to find beer, wine and spirits in international restaurants and hotels without any problem. The most common beer is Flag Special, a light lager, while Casablanca is stronger. Morocco is also famous for its wines such as gris de Guerrouane, boulaouane and oustalet, cabernet président, but also thaleb, père Antoine, bonassia or cardinal Amazir, in the red wine category, or chaud-soleil and valpierre in the white. Finally the mahia is a digestive based on figs titling 40 °.
