"Four things are necessary before a nation can develop a great cuisine. The first is an abundance of fine ingredients, a rich land. The second is a variety of cultural influences: the history of the nation, including its domination by foreign powers, and the culinary secrets it has brought back from its own imperialist adventures. Third, a great civilization, if a country has not had its day in the sun, its cuisine will probably not be great; great food and a great civilization go together. Last, the existence of a refined palace life, without royal kitchens, without a Versailles or a Forbidden City in Peking, without, in short, the demands of a cultivated court, the imaginations of a nation's cooks will not be challenged. Morocco, fortunately, is blessed with all four."Ingredients & Spices
A variety of Mediterranean and tropical fruits and vegetables are home-grown in Morocco, thus, readily available and at cheap prices. Dates, figs, prunes, apricots, and nuts (almonds and pistachios) are staples. High-quality red, green, and black olives are used in tajines and for munching before meals. As for protein, sheep, poultry (pigeon), and seafood are mass produced. Remember: pork is taboo!
Many spices and herbs, most notably mint and the world's most expensive spice- SAFFRON- are locally grown. In the U.S., a pound of saffron retails for $500-5,000 per pound. I bought 50 grams quite cheaply in the Rissani market. Cinnamon, cumin, tumeric, ginger, pepper, anise seed, sesame seed, coriander, and parsley are also frequently used to flavor dishes.
Soups & Salads
Numerous other hot and cold salads are also eaten in Morocco, prepared with various vegetables and spices.
Couscous: probably the most famous North African dish is of Berber origin. Small granules of semolina wheat coated in flour are steamed two or three times. Couscous is topped off with seven vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onions, turnips, peppers, and some others I forgot) cooked in a spicy or mild broth or stew, and some meat (chicken, lamb, or mutton) and served on a HUGE platter. In Morocco, couscous always has a yellow appearance, whereas I have heard that Tunisian couscous is red-colored, due to the chili-base in which it is cooked. It is a Moroccan tradition all over the country to celebrate the holy day (Friday) with a couscous meal.
Tajine (tah-ZHEEN) is the name of a savory Moroccan entrée as well as the special pot used to cook it in. Tajine dishes are slow-cooked at low temperatures, resulting in tender, falling-off-the-bone meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce. Common tajine ingredients include any product that braises well: fish, pigeon, beef, dried fruits, olives, vegetables. Spices used to flavor tajines include saffron, cumin, pepper, cinnamon, and garlic. Each tajine I ate was different because each "chef" has a unique method of preparation and a secret recipe! Some of the tajines I sampled included beef with vegetables; lamb, prune, and olive; chicken and citrus; and a thick, creamy egg tajine with meatballs. One Thursday, I paid our maid to stay and teach me how to make beef and vegetable tajineMeat (usually lamb) cubed, stuck on a skewer and put it over the fire. Served with a plate of "french fries" and sometimes a little salad.
When it is served, the host pours the tea high above the glasses so as to create a little foam in each person’s glass. café au lait (qahwa b' halib)
Cornes de gazelle/Kaab el ghzal. In English: "Gazelle's horns" are scrumptious little pastries stuffed with almond paste.
Shibekkya which is fried in oil and then coated in honey, a sweet and gooey dessert. Served along with harira to break the Ramadan fast.
Sesame-bar pastries that I don't know the name for. Also served during Ramadan.
Meal Patterns
Breakfast is light and pleasant, consisting of STRONG coffee, fresh-squeezed OJ, yogurt, cheese, and pastries, bread with marmalade, or milwi (thick, pan-fried pancake eaten with jam or honey). The country is blessed with amazing, French pastries due to Morocco's 44-year (1912-1956) history as a French protectorate.
Dinner is a small meal as well. People usually enjoy leftovers or soup, something light.
Lunch is the main meal in Morocco, with the exception of the Ramadan month. The main meal is relaxed. Moroccans are not in a hurry; much time elapses between each course, allowing for ample conversation. In this culture, relationships are valued! If you are invited into a Moroccan home for dinner, make sure you are not on a tight schedule and expect a 4-6 hour visit! It is wonderful :) Also, I do not recommend that you eat in the 24 hours before your visit with the Moroccan family. You will consume, quite possibly, the most you ever have, twice as much as you do each year at American Thanksgiving, and at times you will feel as if your stomach is about to explode. Your host will, no doubt, continue to load up your plate long after you've uttered your first"Safi!" (ENOUGH!) But, Eat up! If you do not show off your hearty appetite, your host will think you are displeased with the food she labored over long and hard. While you are dining, be sure to utter a sincere "Hamdu-llah" (Praise be to God) or "mzian bzzef" (very nice) to your host. She is probably overly-concerned with whether you are pleased with the food!
Before the meal, the host will usually say "Bismillah" (In the Name of God). A course of salads is then served, followed by a lamb or chicken tajine. Everyone eats from the same dish, family-style! Eat just the portion in front of you. It is rude to lean across the table to stab at a tasty little morsel in front of another person. Thick, round, flat bread (pronounced "hobz" in Darija) is eaten with every meal and often used to scoop up food. Moroccans eat with their hands quite frequently.
More time passes for conversation. For dessert, a platter is served of the thickest, juiciest, sweetest, most flavorful melons (watermelon, honeydew, and yellow) you've ever tasted. Much later, mint tea is served from an intricate, brass kettle, poured into short glasses. Grab the very top of the glasses or you'll burn the heck out of your fingers! You'll be glad for the tea, which does seem to help you digest your food more efficiently. Sweet sesame, and honey pastries (used to break the Ramadan fast each day) are occasionally served.
Without a doubt, you'll leave the Moroccan home gleeful and glutted. You may have to be rolled home, but you have probably enjoyed the company and the cuisine to the hilt! Hamdu-llah!
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment