The Kingdom of Morocco is a country with a mild climate, ancient culture, access to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and excellent beaches in North Africa. Moroccan cuisine combines recipes from European, Arabic, Jewish and Berber cuisine and has been repeatedly recognized as one of the best in the world. Recipes vary greatly depending on the region: on the coast, oysters are grown and fish and vegetable dishes are preferred, in the south of the country, spicy dishes of meat and couscous are prepared, and at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, milk and cheese play an important role. It is also impossible not to mention that Morocco is a rare Muslim country that produces good white and rose wines. Today we will tell you about the best dishes and culinary traditions of Moroccan cuisine from different regions.
1. Marrakesh, an ancient city in the southwest of the country, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains
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Marrakech is dominated by sophisticated Berber and Moorish cuisine, with lots of spices (saffron, chili, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, coriander, mint and various spice mixtures) and a variety of meat dishes. The most popular: coriander soup with langoustines, pastila with chicken meat, tagine with 7 types of vegetables, tagine with beef, plums and almonds, harira lentil soup, brivat (triangular pies made of salt dough with sweet or savory filling),
spicy lentil soup, kefta (fried beef meatballs),
meshui (lamb, whole baked in the oven),
chicken stewed with olives and coffee with cardamom.
You’ll find street food vendors on most streets of Marrakech, but we recommend heading to the fun night market in Jemaa El Fna Square – where you’ll find the best street food: brochette (kebabs made from all types of meat except pork),
freshly baked flatbreads, stewed snails, fried lamb sausages, spicy sardines and eggplants, sweets and freshly squeezed juices (we recommend trying pomegranate juice).
2. Meknes, an ancient imperial city with French colonial heritage
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Meknes, which is called the “city of a hundred minarets,” is dominated by Egyptian, Jewish, Spanish and French cuisines. The area around Meknes produces the best olives in the country and produces rosé, white and red wines (the best of them is the dry white Château Roslane). Traditional dishes: batin jaan (fried eggplant with oranges),
tagine with chicken, lemon and olives, chorba (spicy chicken soup with herbs),
pancakes, mishna (chicken baked with prunes),
traditional ksra bread, lamb ribs with herbs. Also very popular in Meknes are rgaif (spring rolls),
sweet fruit salads and angel hair dessert (thin strips of phyllo dough with nuts and syrup).
3. Casablanca, a city on the Atlantic coast in western Morocco
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The cuisine of Casablanca, where the majority of the inhabitants were French colonists in the 20th century, is a bizarre mixture of French and Arabic recipes. Casablanca is the only city in Morocco where they brew light beer Flag Special and Casblanca, and drink machia date vodka. Spices in Casablanca are added to almost all dishes – from fish and meat to desserts. Red meat is a rare guest on the table; preference is given to tuna and chicken, eggplant, peppers, fruits and nuts. Casablanca is characterized by sweet side dishes for meat dishes: stewed pears are served with lamb, sweet tagine Mruziya is prepared from lamb and dried fruits, chicken is stewed with quince, and an orange salad is served with kefta meatballs. And in Casablanca they love spicy vegetable salads, to which cumin is always added: salad of beets and carrots, salad of olives and fennel, salad of grilled peppers and tomatoes, which are usually served as a side dish for tagines. Another favorite spice of the residents of Casablanca is mint; it is added to lamb and tagines, soups and desserts, and it is also used to make strong and very sweet tea.
4. Rabat, the capital of Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean
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Rabat is famous for its couscous, the most famous of which are couscous with seven types of vegetables, couscous with onions and caramelized raisins (kseksou bet’faya),
couscous with egg and almonds (kseksou bel beid wa louz). In Rabat, ginger, parsley and coriander are hardly used, giving preference to onions, garlic and turmeric. Other popular dishes: tagine with chickpeas and sweet potatoes, brochette (skewers of beef, lamb or offal),
lamb and mutton stew, sweet croutons with egg (ch’ffar bel beid),
stewed lamb liver, grilled and deep-fried fish and fish soup with herbs and cloves. For dessert, it is customary to serve puff pastries stuffed with honey and almonds and pancakes with sweet fillings (r’ghaifs).
5. Agadir, Morocco’s main fishing port
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Morocco has about 3,000 kilometers of sea coast; it is the main supplier of fish and seafood in Africa, and the city of Agadir is the world’s first sardine port. Sardines, anchovies, sea bream, catfish, eel, shellfish, shrimp, lobster, crab and even shark meat are cheap here and form the basis of the diet. The fish is usually grilled and served with fresh vegetable salads and hot flatbreads. The city is also proud of its recipe for Agadir tagine with almonds, cinnamon, honey and argan oil, which is simmered in an oven for a long time in a hermetically sealed container. Very popular in Agadir are royal couscous with several types of meat, briki (a pie made from the thinnest puff pastry, similar in shape to a cheburek, stuffed with vegetables, eggs or meat),
tagine with salmon and tomatoes, warm tomato and eggplant salad, and harira (chickpea, lentil and thin vermicelli soup). In the vicinity of Agadir there are many date plantations and desserts made from date paste mixed with almonds are very popular.
6. Tangier, a port city on the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar
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Tangier is an ancient city with excellent beaches, an ancient medina and many restaurants. It has long been called the gateway between Europe and Africa. Tangier’s cuisine is spicy Mediterranean, interspersed with ancient Moorish and Spanish recipes. The most popular dishes: paella, fish soups, oysters, grilled fish and seafood, vegetable soups, freshly squeezed fruit juices and spicy salads from fresh vegetables. Tangier’s favorite dessert is covered apple pie. Moorish dishes are also very popular: spicy chicken with chickpeas, pastilla de Tetouan (semi-sweet layer cake with almonds, ginger, saffron and chicken filling),
tagines with chicken and vegetables, lamb and prunes.
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