Moroccan Cuisine: A Feast For The Senses

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

If a person visits Morocco, he can fall in love with it for life. The lovely small hotels, set next to orange groves, offer enchanting views of ripe dates and fresh tangerine juice for breakfast. And if the tourist visits the locals in the Atlas Mountains, he will enjoy their cordial hospitality, share their food and the constant freshly brewed mint tea.

Diverse cuisine

Undoubtedly, Moroccan cuisine offers a very interesting selection of products, it is not too spicy, but there are enough spices that give everyday food new flavors. The predominant flavors are coriander, mint, lemon and onion. Fruits play an important role in cooking and are often served stewed with meat.

Moroccan food is very pleasant in appearance. Even the most modest housewife will arrange with artistic feeling the big round dish with couscous, stewed meat and vegetables. On holidays, the table is filled with various dishes, salads, tajines (stewed, prepared in a traditional pot) and fresh fruit served on exquisitely decorated Arabic dishes.

Products

Some unusual products find a place in everyday Moroccan dishes. Cumin is one of the most needed spices. Used in many recipes, such as brooches (skewers) and minced meat dishes. The seeds are fried dry and crushed in a mortar just before serving so as not to lose the aroma. Coriander seeds are mostly used to flavor lamb. The fresh green leaves of coriander also do not go unnoticed. All kinds of dishes are flavored with coriander water - puree 100 fresh coriander with a little water and freeze it in ice cube trays. Saffron, cardamom, cinnamon and ginger are used regularly.

Aromatic waters

They can be bought from stores or prepared at home. Orange or rose water is most often used for desserts and salads.

Seeds and legumes

Couscous is the national dish of Morocco. These are small pasta grains steamed over a strongly seasoned stew; served with vegetables and meat along with the sauce in which the meat is cooked.

Sesame seeds are a local product and are used in many savory and sweet dishes, as well as to decorate breads. When ground, they are made into cooking oil.

Chickpeas are a very popular legume, often included in couscous dishes and in tajine. Before preparing a dish with chickpeas, the dried chickpeas are soaked overnight and the canned ones are drained.

Lemon pickle

It can be bought from stores or made at home. It has a unique taste due to the marinade of lemon juice, green spices and salt. The lemons prepared in this way enhance the taste of the dishes with chicken, lamb and fish.

Honey

The best honey - "Melilla" - comes from northern Morocco. It is thick and fragrant, with a pleasant scent of orange blossom and herbs.

Techniques and tips

Moroccan kitchens today have modern appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers, but old traditional dishes still play an important role in cooking. Moroccans do not use numerous tools and instruments, but adhere to the traditional ones used for many generations.

Tazhini

These are round, shallow ceramic vessels, fireproof and with conical lids. They cook tajini (stewed dishes) and are different in size - from the smallest, for one serving, to large, for 15-20 guests. The dish tajine, a real Moroccan specialty, can include fish, meat, chicken, vegetables, and the taste of the products is emphasized thanks to the slow baking in the oven or on charcoal.

Couscous

Every Moroccan cuisine has a couscous - a dish for cooking couscous. The lower part is called "gdra" and meat, fish, chicken or vegetables are cooked in it. The upper part, called "cascas" or "keskes", is like a steamer - the bottom is perforated so that the aromatic steam from the lower dish can penetrate the couscous. These vessels can be aluminum, copper, stainless steel or ceramic. If you don't have a couscous, improvise - a gauze colander over a large saucepan.

Other appliances

The mortar ("mehraz") is no less important, because the aroma of freshly crushed spices is an essential part of Moroccan dishes. To keep the bread fresh, it is served in a basket with a conical lid called a "t'biska". The wooden container for kneading dough is called "gsaa".

Harira

This is a delicious soup with diced lamb, lentils, chickpeas and a rich broth made from tomatoes, onions, parsley and coriander. Serve at night during Ramadan fasting along with dates, figs, hard-boiled eggs, pastries and lemon juice.

Lozenge

Also known as pasta, it is a sweet or savory pie stuffed with chicken or pigeon meat, egg, almonds, spices and seedless grapes. It is believed to be of Persian origin, served at banquets and large receptions. Wark dough is thinner even than fine pastry crusts.

Roast lamb

A temptation not to be missed is meshui - a whole lamb roasted in the open. Season with saffron, sweet and hot red pepper, ground cumin and rock salt, and during baking pour melted butter. This method of baking is also applied to other animals, such as camels and gazelles, for major holidays. Meshui is served with bread and the meat is cut with your fingers.

With me

This is traditionally salted reheated butter. To do this, slowly heat 225 g of unsalted butter and let the foam rise. Strain it through gauze to remove solids, and add 2 tsp. sol. Pour the liquid into clean sterilized jars. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. Sometimes the shift is flavored with thyme, oregano or local green spices.

Ras ate hanut

This spice mixture is made from at least 13 products and is used to "heat" various dishes. Sometimes lavender, thyme and small amounts of exotic spices, such as rose buds, are added to it. Here are some ingredients of the simplified version - black peppercorns, ginger, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, hot red pepper, cardamom, cloves, thyme, rosemary.

Chermula

This Moroccan spice consists of finely chopped garlic, onion, green coriander and flat parsley, to which are added saffron, sweet and hot red pepper. Sometimes cinnamon is added instead of saffron if there is game, turkey or duck meat in the dish.