"I lean to the bread of my mother .. and my mother's coffee .."
(Mahmoud Darwish)
Every home has a distinctive taste, a smell that is not the same, and a seasoning mix that the householders can always distinguish. The smell of homemade soup and hot cakes is stuck in our memories from the heart to the warm oven in the memory. On a larger scale, each city has its own cuisine and specialties. It passes traditional recipes from generation to generation and travels with people who travel from land to land. Immigrants take their traditional dishes from one country to another as a safety valve that protects them against alienation. Which are influenced by and influenced by the cooking habits of the new countries, but each dish retains the same history, culture and distinctive features of its original country. Food has always been closely linked to civilization, and different cooking methods have revealed many cultural interactions among different cultures. Cooking is not just a food ingredient but an amazing mixture of foods and aromas, each with its own heritage and history.
Food tourism
Tourism is not only limited to exploring tourist areas, but also develops a new type of tourism known as food and drink tourism. This type is mainly about exploring and learning the food and drink of a particular culture or country, and the experience of the original taste of the dish in its home country . Food tourism includes culinary classes at the hands of local food experts, as well as food and drink tours in local restaurants, bars, farms and manufacturing venues, as well as food festivals.
According to the International Culinary Tourism Association, this type of tourism is growing steadily, especially with the growing number of channels that help to introduce it, such as specialized television channels, documentaries and specialized blogs, which show many of the destinations of food lovers, Has led to an increase in this type of tourists. (3)
Food tourism provides an authentic experience for tourists and gives them an opportunity to connect with what is unique, authentic and radically linked to the history and culture of each country. Moroccan cuisine is one of the most important and richest in international cuisine. Its diversity reflects the succession of peoples and civilizations on its soil. You can trace the history of Morocco and the various cultural influences of the early inhabitants, immigrants and occupiers through its dishes. (4)
Morocco .. Rich dishes of multiple origins
The origins of many Moroccan dishes are rooted in the first inhabitants for more than 2,000 years, both culinary and tajine, or the use of ingredients such as couscous, chickpeas and beans. Their kitchen is the culinary kitchen of Moroccan cuisine. The Arab conquest in the seventh century influenced the Moroccan cuisine significantly, bringing the Arabs with them to Morocco spices such as cinnamon, pepper and ginger from India and China, and introduced the nuts and dried fruits they brought from Persia, which affected the preparation of dishes that gather Between the sweet and sour taste.
Moroccans or Moroccans of Andalusian descent were introduced into Moroccan cuisine with olives, olive oil and citrus. The impression of the Jews of Morocco in the ways of preserving food and pickles, while the impact of the Ottoman Empire appears in the introduction of barbecue dishes and kebabs to Moroccan cuisine during the sixteenth century. Despite the relatively short period of French occupation, it has clearly influenced Moroccan cuisine, and its effect continues to be found in the workings of some pastries, coffee and wine.
All these cultural origins have been mixed up and mixed together over the centuries to produce Moroccan dishes of unparalleled quality, enabling you to taste history through every spoonful.
The most famous ingredients used in Moroccan cuisine
Moroccan dishes are characterized by the distinctive use of spices. You can find dried ginger, turmeric and cumin in most Moroccan dishes. Cumin is one of the main spices used, usually on the table next to salt and black pepper. Saffron is one of the main spices of southern Morocco, where Morocco is the fourth largest producer of saffron in the world. It is used in the manufacture of many dishes and also has therapeutic uses. One of the famous spices in Morocco is known as "Ras El Hanout", which is prepared using a range of spices ranging from 20 to 100, the most famous of which are:
Black and White Pepper, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Carnation, Fennel, Rose Buds, Lavender, Ginger, Saffron, Kebab. Metal and balsam (or parsley and gravy) are the most important herbs used in many Moroccan dishes. The tea is added to the mint in the summer or herb Alshiba in winter as well as the herb of the Luiza. In the pastry you will be able to taste anise and thyme. Morocco is an exporter of olive oil, so olive oil is used in a number of Moroccan dishes, and you can enjoy the aroma of argan oil, which is used in some areas of Morocco as a link to the authorities. As well as the intervention of dried fruits Kalatin, plums, apricots and dates in a large number of Moroccan dishes. (7)
Bisara soup: One of the most famous winter dishes in Morocco, especially in the north of Morocco, the most important components are dry beans, cabbage, turnips and olive oil, usually served for breakfast.
A delicious side dish, which is fried balls (1) served with hot herring sauce (8)
A variety of ways to enjoy food tourism in Morocco
Specialized culinary courses: Many large restaurants offer culinary courses, and may be limited to a few hours or several sessions in several days.
Food preparation with locals: Some local guides also open their homes to receive tourists and help them learn how to cook Moroccan dishes. This is a great opportunity to taste the authenticity of the Moroccan house and the famous Moroccan hospitality, usually including a tour of the market to buy the ingredients of the food and learn about local markets and shops. , Then go back to the host's house to sign up together to prepare food, where he will share many of his secrets.
Dining tours: In agreement with a local guide you can prepare a dining tour, where you can explore the most popular Moroccan cuisine, whether prepared by local people or in restaurants. They can also help you explore local markets and buy famous ingredients such as spices. You can find out examples of these tours and their cost here, here.
Morocco has always been an ideal destination to travel with its authentic culture and culture, and the combination of food and aromas that we promise you will never forget.
The most famous Moroccan dishes
Couscous: Couscous is one of the most famous Moroccan dishes, of Berber origin, where the flour of the semolina after mixing with water in a certain way in the form of granules cooked on the steam, may be cooked with meat and vegetables, or may be added to milk, sugar and butter. Couscous is eaten with spoons or hands.
The tajine is also of Berber origin. The word is spelled on the dish and on the pot used to cook it. It is a hollow pot of pottery with a conical lid with a hole that allows the steam to rise and condense to return to the pot again. It is specially prepared to cook slowly on the "cinder" made of pottery using flaming coal. One of the types of tajine: lamb tajine with raisins and almonds, the chicken tajine with olive and canned lemons, and chicken tajine with plum. Each part of Morocco has a distinctive way of preparing the Tajine. Since it takes a long time to cook, the housewife usually starts preparing it right after breakfast.
Soup of the calorie: The main ingredients of calorie soup are tomatoes, peas, chickpeas, lentils and small pasta. The soup is known as a main dish at the Ramadan breakfast table in Morocco. Children celebrate the holy month of Ramadan by singing a popular song, "Terreira Terreira and Tomorrow for Herrera" Known as al-Shabakiyya.
Zallouk: One of the most famous authorities in Morocco and includes in the composition of zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, hot pepper, parsley and lemon juice are cooked together in the pot itself.
Pastilla / Pastilla: An Andalusian dish brought by Moroccans expelled from southern Spain in the 15th century. It is a kind of thin pastry stuffed with chicken, pigeons or fish. It is damaged like a pie and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. It is one of the main dishes and is usually served in happy occasions because of the time and effort it takes.