Why Moroccan Recipes And Cuisine Are Popular

Considered as one of the most diversified and sumptuous food, Moroccan cuisine offers a delightful experience. There primary reason contributed to the diverse Moroccan food is it's interaction with the outside world for centuries. Food in Morocco has blended different cuisines from different cultures like Moorish, Arab, Middle Eastern, Berber, Jewish, Iberian and Mediterranean African.

Over different historical eras and centuries the Moroccan cuisine was refined by the highly capable cooks of the royal kitchens in Meknes, Fez, Marrakech, Tetouan and Rabat. This refined cuisine laid the base for the modern Moroccan cuisine.

History of Moroccan Cuisine

Morocco has been at the crossroad of different civilizations, which has greatly influenced Moroccan food. Today you will even find some of the best Moroccan recipes over the internet but the truth is that nothing tastes like the Moroccan spices.

There has been different settlements in Morocco, which has led to creation of a blended cuisine that has many different flavors. They brought with them the traditional recipes, which have since become a part of the traditional Moroccan cuisine.

Moroccan food has also been influenced greatly by Morisco or the Muslim refugees who were thrown out of Spain preceding the Spanish inquisition. An important part of Moroccan cuisine is the ingredients used. Since Morocco produces Mediterranean vegetables and fruits, they are used in the preparation of different Moroccan recipes. Poultry, cattle and fish is also in abundance in Morocco and hence they have become an integral part of the country's cuisine.

Moroccan Spices

|Food in Morocco can't do without the Moroccan spices such as harissa and lakama. These spices are used in all Moroccan recipes and render a taste that will remain with you for a lifetime.

Some of the popular Moroccan spices include saffron that came from Tiliouine, olive and mint came from Meknes, while lemons and oranges came from Fez. Some of the common spices were also home grown like harissa, lakama, kamoun (cumin), karfa (cinnamon), kharkoum (tumeric), libzar (pepper), skingbir (ginger), tahmira (paprika), sesame seed, anis seed, kasbour (coriander), zaafrane beldi (saffron) and maadnous (parsley).

The Great Moroccan Meal

You have to really taste the tanginess and the spicy flavors of the Moroccan cuisine to understand why it is so popular across the world. The most important part of the Moroccan cuisine is the midday meal, which is not consumed in the holy month of Ramadan. A Moroccan mid day meal will start with hot and cold salads, and will be followed by tagine.

Couscous is the main Moroccan dish and is considered to have been of Berber origin. The most commonly consumed form of meat is beef although lamb is also preferred but costs more than beef. There is also a growing importance of seafood and is slowly becoming an important part of Moroccan cuisine.

Some of the popular as well as famous Moroccan food recipes include Pastilla, Couscous, Tajine, Harira and Tanjia. Harira is a soup, but it is an important part of the Moroccan cuisine and is consumed mostly during the holy months of Ramadan.

Where you have rich food laced with Moroccan spices, you will definitely have Desserts. Desserts in Morocco don't necessarily have to be sweet although the sweeter it is, the better it will be. One of the common desserts is the kaab el ghzal or gazelle's horns. Of course that's just a name and you won't get to eat any horns. Kaab el ghzal is a type of pastry with sugar toppings and is stuffed with almond paste. Honey cakes are extremely popular too and they are prepared by deep frying dough and dipping them in hot honey and finally sesame seeds are sprinkled on the top.

Moroccan cuisine has a lot of variety and also include drinks (Mint Tea) and snacks apart from their mid day meal and to feel the real flavor of spice, you will have to taste their traditional food.