The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Flavors from afar
Taste exotic dishes of Morocco with unusual combinations of ingredients
Sliced oranges dusted with cinnamon, a huge variety of dates and tart preserved lemons served with luscious green olives were among the taste combinations I experienced during a recent visit to Morocco, a stunningly beautiful country in North Africa. I’ve attempted to duplicate a few of the dishes to share with readers wishing to taste something of that exotic place.
My 12-day trip with Odysseys Unlimited included my daughter, Sascha, and me with six other Americans and included most meals as we traveled in an air-conditioned minibus along ancient caravan routes to Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech and into the High Atlas mountains and the Sahara Desert. Read my story about shopping in the souks at bit.ly/nh-morocco-shopping.
We were advised not to drink or brush our teeth in the tap water, but bottled water was available at every meal and at hotels, as well as in a cooler in our vehicle. Locals, however, experienced no issues with the public water. Wine and other adult beverages, prohibited to Muslims, are available to tourists but never are served within sight of a mosque, where the Muslim population prays five times daily.
Every meal and many transactions begin with an offer of hot mint tea, poured from high above into small glasses embossed with a trim that keeps the heat from burning the hands. Customarily, it’s very sweet, but you can request it without sugar.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are widely available, but I ate them cooked and avoided lettuce and foods washed in the local water.
The domed earthenware tagine lends its name to a common stew of seemingly endless variety. The meat frequently is lamb but can be chicken, beef or even camel. It’s never pork, because like alcohol, pork is prohibited for Muslims. Restraint must be practiced for the numerous cooked vegetable dishes of beets, eggplant, potatoes and spinach presented as appetizers in small tagines before the main dish is placed on the table for diners to share.
The meat is buried in the middle of the tagine as it cooks with a combination of sweet and savory vegetables and spices. Consider dried apricots, cinnamon, nutmeg and sliced almonds browned in butter prepared with lamb, saffron, turmeric, tomato paste and scallions or a pot roast-style beef cooked with prunes and figs. Herbs and lemon juice are in everything, as are green olives.
A Dutch oven or heavy pan with a cover can substitute for a tagine.
Couscous, considered the national dish of Morocco, is traditionally served on Fridays after the midday prayers. It’s often part of the tagine.
Ras el hanout, an herb-and-spice mixture added to many dishes, was one of my purchases to take home from Marrakech after I discovered it at Herboristerie Almas in the city’s medina.
I also found a recipe for the fragrant mixture that can be kept tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a month. Its components add a delicious sweet-but-earthy flavor to chicken and many other dishes.
Rosewater and preserved lemons both can be ordered online. Rosewater can be used as a facial spray, to scent the air or to mist fresh slices of orange before sprinkling with cinnamon.
Preserved lemons are cured in salt with sugar and will keep in the refrigerator in a tightly covered jar for six months. The lemons soften as they are pickled and when used add a citrusy brightness to a host of dishes, stews and even sandwiches.