Moroccan Cuisine

Eating in Morocco is serious business. The midday meal is the main one and you can expect large portions - enough to keep you going all day! They usually start off with a series of hot and cold salads. Then, they have tagine or stew. Next is the main portion - normally a lamb or chicken dish with a huge plate of meet and vegetable couscous. Mint tea is normally drunk after the meal.

The strong Arab influence found in two of the royal cities, Fez and Marrakech, contributed greatly to Moroccan cuisine, as did the Andalusian sensibilities of Tetuan and the Jewish traditions from the coastal city of Essaouira. In Morocco, they often eat with the first three fingers of their hand and to use bread as a utensil. Don't be alarmed. It's quite normal here.

Morocco's best loved dishes include; couscous (of course), which is basically semolina grains served with a variety of meat and vegetable toppings; mechoui - roasted lamb; djej emshmel - a roast chicken dish cooked with lemon and olives and bisteeya - a delicious savoury and sweet pie with three layers, wrapped in very thin pastry.

While spices have been imported to Morocco for thousands of years, many commonly-used raw ingredients are home-grown: mint and olives from Meknes, oranges and lemons from sunny Fez, prickly pear from Casablanca and shad from the Sebou River. Also cultivated in Morocco are pomegranates, almonds, dates, walnuts, chestnuts, honey, barley, cherries and melon. Seafood is abundant along the Atlantic coast while lamb and poultry are raised on higher ground.

In this land of abundant, high quality food, there is a huge emphasis on home cooking. Most Moroccans will tell you that the best meals are found at home and not in the restaurants. This is after all, a very traditional country, that is why it is the women of the house who cook the meals and they spend hours in the preparation. Again, there are no chairs but rolled carpets or cushions that serve as seats. The ladies dress in long colorful robes.

It is not a secret that, almost all business decisions from buying leather to buying any Morocco property with foreign representatives are took place at home and host with all Moroccan hospitality meet his guests. Every household in Morocco makes their own bread which is made from semolina flour. When the bread has been kneaded and shaped each family puts its own mark on it before sending it to the bakery for cooking.

Spices also take center stage in Moroccan kitchens, with chilies, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, saffron, paprika, and ginger often playing starring roles. The Moroccans are very proud of their food. The sharing of meals is an integral part of the culinary experience and the foundation of the Moroccan way of life.

On October 2007, participants of Moroccan American Trade and Investment Center and the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce in Washington where was discussed opportunities on trade and property in Morocco investment were very enjoyed of marvelous and delicious tastes of Moroccan cuisine.

Whether you're planning on visiting this mystical destination in Northern Africa, or simply adding flavor to your cooking repertoire, Morocco's culinary spirit is sure to seduce you.