Moroccan cuisine is exotic and unusual, like the rest of the country. There is a mixture of Arabic, Berber, French and Spanish dishes. Once in this Middle Eastern kingdom, get ready for gastronomic discoveries.
Tajine
A traditional Moroccan dish and a visiting card of the kingdom. Tajine is sold and served both in street food stalls and in high-end restaurants. It is prepared from meat stewed in a special ceramic pot. The cookware in which the cooking process takes place consists of a wide plate and a cone-shaped lid. With this heat treatment, little water is used, and juiciness is achieved due to the natural juices of the products.
There are hundreds of varieties of tajin cooking in the country. Most recipes include meat (lamb, chicken, fish), vegetables, and condiments like cinnamon, ginger, cumin, and saffron. Sometimes dried fruits and nuts are added.
Couscous
This dish is prepared weekly in all Moroccan homes and consumed from one large plate. Stewed with vegetables, meat of a young lamb or calf is served with steamed grains of coarse wheat. Couscous is also prepared with chicken meat, served with vegetable stew, caramelized onions. Dessert option – with raisins, prunes and figs.
Harira
This thick, rich soup is not considered a main dish in Morocco, but it is often eaten as a snack. The recipe for the treat varies by region. Be sure to include meat, tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas and spices in the soup. The soup is seasoned with turmeric and lemon juice. Harira tastes too pungent. In some recipes, the beans in the soup are replaced with rice or noodles, and flour is added to make the soup “velvety”.
Zaalyuk
Juicy eggplant is considered a key ingredient in many dishes in Morocco. Zaalyuk is a warm salad based on this vegetable. The recipe is based on stewed eggplants and tomatoes, seasoned with garlic, olive oil and coriander. Paprika and caraway give the dish a slightly smoky flavor. The salad is served as a side dish for kebabs or tajins.
Bastilla
A dish for a Moroccan wedding or meeting of guests. According to tradition, the more layers in this cake, the better the owners relate to the newcomers. Spicy pie, the name of which translates as “little cookie”. Bastilla is made from puff pastry sheets, between which the filling is placed. Sprinkle the top of the pie with sugar, cinnamon, ground almonds.
Initially, the pie was prepared with the meat of young pigeons, but over time it was replaced by chicken and veal. When cooking, bastille is poured with lemon and onion juice, eggs are laid and sprinkled with crushed nuts.
Street Snacks
Maakuda is a local Moroccan fast food – fried potato balls or scrambled eggs served with a special sauce.
Different types of kebabs and sardines are sold in every corner. The highlight of street food is the sheep’s head, very edible and amazingly delicious!
Thina
This sesame paste is sold everywhere in Morocco. It is traditionally added to meat and fish dishes, salads, cookies, halva is prepared on its basis. In Arabian cuisine, it is used as often as mayonnaise is used in our country. Sesame paste is viscous and can be wrapped around bread or sliced fresh vegetables.
Msemen
Msemen pancakes are made from square-shaped puff pastry. Unsweetened dough consists of flour and couscous. The dish is served warm with butter, honey, jam. Pancakes are baked for tea at 5 o’clock. After this event, the Moroccans enjoy a fiesta. Msemen can also be non-dessert: with chopped parsley, onions, celery, chopped.
Shebekiya
These are traditional Moroccan tea biscuits. It looks like a familiar delicacy of brushwood. Shebekiya dough contains saffron, fennel and cinnamon. The finished dessert is dipped in sugar syrup with lemon juice and orange blossom tincture. Sprinkle cookies with sesame seeds.
Mint tea
A traditional Moroccan drink that resembles a mint liqueur. It is not just brewed, but cooked over the fire for at least 15 minutes. The taste of tea depends on the type of mint. The presence of foam is a mandatory nuance; without it, tea will not be counted as real. Mint tea in Morocco is drunk very sweet – about 16 cubes of sugar are added to a small teapot.