Morocco

Traditional cuisine

traditional cuisine
 

Tagine or tajine, a spicy stew of meat and vegetables that has been simmered for many hours in a conical clay pot from which the dish derives its name. Restaurants offer dozens of variations from Dh 25 in budget restaurant including chicken tagine with lemon and olives, honey-sweetened lamb or beef, fish or prawn tagine in a spicy tomato sauce. There are many variations of this dish.

A popular Berber contribution to Moroccan cuisine is kaliya, a combination of lamb, tomatoes, bell peppers and onion and served with couscous or bread.

traditional cuisine
Pastilla

A popular delicacy in Morocco is Pastilla, made by layering thin pieces of flakey dough between sweet, spiced meat filling often lamb or chicken, but most enjoyably pigeon and layers of almond-paste filling. The dough is wrapped into a plate-sized pastry that is baked and coated with a dusting of powdered sugar.

traditional cuisine
Couscous

Made from semolina grains and steamed in a colander-like dish known as a couscoussiã¨re is the staple food for most moroccans, and is probably the best known moroccan meal. it can be served as an accompaniment to a stew or tagine, or mixed with meat and vegetables and presented as a main course. almost all moroccan restaurants uphold the tradition of serving couscous on fridays.

traditional cuisine
 

A Dh 3 - Dh 5 serve of harira or besara will always include some bread to mop the soup up and will fill you up for breakfast or lunch:

Moroccans often elect to begin their meals with warming bowl of harira French: soupe marocaine, a delicious soup made from lentils, chick peas, lamb stock, tomatoes and vegetables. Surprisingly, among Moroccans harira has a role of nourishing food for "blue-collars" rather than a high-flying cuisine.

Soups are also traditional breakfasts in Morocco. Bissara, a thick glop made from split peas and a generous wallop of olive oil can be found bubbling away near markets and in medinas in the mornings.

Many cafes see Drink and restaurants also offer good value petit déjeuner breakfast deals, which basically include a tea or coffee, orange juice jus d'Orange and a croissant or bread with marmalade from Dh 10.

Moroccan cuisine is often reputed to be some of the best in the world, with countless dishes and variations proudly bearing the country's colonial and Arabic influences. Unfortunately as a tourist through Morocco, especially if you're on a budget, you'll be limited to the handful of dishes that seem to have a monopoly on cafe and restaurant menus throughout the country. Most restaurants serve dishes foreign to Morocco considering that Moroccans can eat their domestic dishes at home. Apart from major cities, Moroccans do not generally eat out in restaurants so choice is generally limited to international fare such as Chinese, Indian and French cuisine.

snacks and fast food

Snackers and budget watchers are well catered for in Morocco. Rotisserie chicken shops abound, where you can get a quarter chicken served with fries and salad for around Dh 20. Sandwiches from Dh 10 served from rotisserie chicken shops or hole-in-the-wall establishments are also popular. These fresh crusty baguettes are stuffed with any number of fillings including tuna, chicken, brochettes and a variety of salads. This is all usually topped off with the obligatory wad of French fries stuffed into the sandwich and lashings of mayonnaise squeezed on top.

You may also see hawkers and vendors selling a variety of nuts, as well as steamed broad beans and BBQ'd corn cobs.