Remember…Ramadan begins on Friday

Earthy cumin, sweet brown cinnamon, bitter bright saffron, pungent powdered ginger, spicy cayenne, bright red paprika and vivid yellow turmeric – heaped up in conical mounds in the medina, these are some of the fragrant spices essential to good Moroccan cooking.

Middle Eastern spices

We’ve become aware over the past decade or so of couscous – those fluffy kernels of semolina wheat – which forms the core of this rich, varied cuisine. But how many of us are aware of the spices used in Moroccan cooking? As food writer Paula Wolfert (Good Food From Morocco) points out: “Wandering among the spice stalls, seeing myriad spices displayed, you may well think the Moroccans have fallen in love with every spice in the world. “In fact Moroccan cooks have a deep understanding of how spices should be used: to stretch the taste of foods; to push them to a certain point without destroying or breaking up their inherent flavour. “The Moors taught the Spaniards the value of spices, thus disposing the Spanish crown to stake the spice-seeking voyage of Columbus.”
Moroccan herbs

Moroccan Herbs

This love of spices gives Moroccan food its exotic allure and you’ll find it embraced in all their great dishes: couscous, mechoui (spit-roasted lamb with cumin), b’stilla (the layered, flaky, sweet-savoury pigeon or chicken pie), vegetables cooked in olive oil and in the vast repertoire of traditional stews known as tagines. Many of the meat and fruit tagines are, in fact, reminiscent of dishes from medieval Europe, combining honey with sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and ginger. You get some idea of the richness of the cuisine by knowing a little about the history: over the centuries, Phoenicians, Romans, Ottomans, Arabs, Spanish, Muslim, French and others have intermingled their traditions with the indigenous culture of the Berbers.  Each one left behind a strong imprint and contributed to the distinctive, exotic cuisine that is Moroccan today. Most Moroccan food is made of humble things: olives and olive oil, grains, couscous, legumes, vegetables, spices, herbs and fragrant waters (orange blossom and rosewater), eggs and honey.
Moroccan spices

Moroccan spices

During the holy month of Ramadan, Moroccans sit down to a traditional Ramadan breakfast of harira soup, dates, mahalkra or shebbaki (honey cake) and coffee or milk. Harira, a rich thick vegetable and meat soup, is a terrific example of Moroccan cuisine: lemony, peppery, and thickened with tedouira – a mixture of yeast or flour and water. According to Wolfert, it is always reddened with tomatoes, and sometimes enriched with beaten eggs. Moroccans eat it all year round, not just through Ramadan, and also a lighter version called chorba, which is not thickened with yeast or beaten eggs and very good in summer.
Harira

Harira