Category: Food Foods Morocco Top List
Source: https://top-list.co/top-best-foods-to-try-in-morocco-v4415.html
Tagine
Tagine is created with spicy vegetables that are boiled in a mild broth and complemented with pork, chicken, or fish. All of the components are placed in heavy earthenware jars known as “tagines.”
Tagines feature a clay cover that distributes heat from the top to the entire pot. This enables a healthy and slow cooking procedure that might take a long time until all of the ingredients are absorbed through it with flavor-loaded steam. It softens and the bone separates naturally from the meat, making it a genuine delight to eat, especially if some lemon is sprinkled on top to offer a distinctive flavor.
The secret to tagine’s deliciousness rests in the spices used in the cooking process, which include cornflowers, ginger, free saffron, ghee, onions, and garlic. These are the primary elements that contribute to the flavor of the tagine. The tagine is served with bread, which is considered essential. Tagine isn’t complete without bread. Food cooked in a tagine is incredibly healthy because it is steamed, and steamed food is the finest healthy food ever.
Tagine (photo: https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/)
Tagine (photo: https://travelfoodatlas.com/)
Couscous
Couscous is a tiny grain produced from wheat or corn flour that is eaten with spoons or by hand. It is prepared with steam and mixed with meat, vegetables, green crushed beans, milk, butter, and fine sugar to suit individual preferences and situations. Couscous is prepared with ‘halal’ meat varieties, turnip, eggplant, and red pumpkin in Morocco, and is thus served with broth, whereas couscous with milk, known as ‘Saikok,’ is given without broth or vegetables.
Couscous is a popular traditional Moroccan cuisine that is virtually exclusively served on Fridays in Morocco, as most Moroccan households cook it on this ‘holy’ day of the week. Couscous is present at all Moroccan events, including weddings, funerals, and sacred feasts.
There are many different kinds of couscous depending on the ingredients and the occasion, but the most popular is the one made with ‘the seven vegetables’ (pumpkin, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, white and yellow turnips, cabbage, onions… Lentils or white beans are used in some areas).
Couscous (photo: https://www.errenskitchen.com/)
Couscous (photo: https://www.cookingclassy.com/)
Tanjia
Tanjia is a puffed clay pot and a meal of lamb or beef in which the spices are blended and cooked in the same pot before being buried under hot ash.
Tanjia is generally associated with the Moroccan city of Marrakech. It is the most famous dish that the people of Marrakech serve to its visitors as a distinct dish with its meat and spices.
Tanjia has a distinct flavor and a lovely taste. It is prepared at Marrakech’s traditional ‘Farran’ (Bakery). Those traditional bakeries might get crowded at times, especially around religious feasts. It is a man’s specialty because it is their sacred companion on their adventures! Especially during Ramadan and the spring holidays, when men gather in gardens and orchards to enjoy it. Tanjia is rarely prepared by women!
Tanjia (photo: https://www.thespruceeats.com/)
Tanjia (photo: https://www.atlasobscura.com/)
Trotters
Trotters aren’t recognized for having a lot of meat, but they’re a typical Moroccan delicacy thanks to the rich, viscous sauce that begs to be dipped in with bread.
Trotters are cooked lamb and cow’s feet with fiery spices and hummus. Its broth has a garlic and vinegar flavor and is high in fat, protein, and vitamins. It is recommended to consume it once or twice a month since its composition – primarily a high number of calories and a high amount of fats – causes the body to expend a lot of energy in the digesting process.
People in Moroccan society tend to eat fatty, high-calorie dishes as full meals to compensate for the energy they lose during long and arduous workdays or cold winter days. Trotters are a well-known meal, and it is recommended that everyone who wishes to strengthen his bones consume trotters.
Trotters (photo: https://tasteofmaroc.com/)
Pastela
When you hear Morocco, the first thing that comes to mind is the Moroccan Kingdom, and notably the city of Fez. This historic and imperial city is noted for its Bazaars and small lanes, and it is the origin of many classic Moroccan delicacies. Pastela is one of Morocco’s most opulent dishes.
Pastela is difficult to prepare, which makes it a formidable competitor to certain other well-known Moroccan meals, such as Couscous and Tagine, both in terms of taste and ingredients. It is made with chicken and pigeons in Fez, whereas it is prepared with fish and shellfish in the north of Morocco, and it has another preparation in the south, such as Rachidia.
A light, crispy warqa pastry shell encases savory saffron chicken, spicy omelet stuffing, and a crunchy topping of sweetened with orange flower water fried almonds. A sprinkle of powdered sugar and cinnamon adds to the distinct flavor combination.
Pastela (photo: https://www.cookmonkeys.com/)
Pastela (photo: https://www.gastronomistas.com/)
Rfissa
Chicken Rfissa is a version of trid, a Moroccan meal with origins in tharid, a centuries-old Arab stew and broth eaten over bread.
Rfissa is a family dish par excellence, as it is served at family reunions and religious festivals, called “Zarda” in Morocco. This dish is typically cooked for mothers who have recently given birth since it contains healthful, useful, and milk-producing components such as fenugreek, lentils, and a unique spice known as “Msakhan.”
Ras el Hanout, fenugreek seeds (helba in Arabic), saffron, and other spices are used to flavor Rfissa’s distinctive broth. While not a beautiful dish, it is memorable and widely recognized as Moroccan comfort food at its best.
Rfissa is commonly offered during family gatherings and casual company meals. It’s also usually eaten on the third day after a baby’s birth, due to the health benefits fenugreek provides a nursing mother. Of course, it can also be provided at other times.
Rfissa (photo: http://fezcookingschool.com/)
Rfissa (photo: http://lafleurdoranger.over-blog.com/)
Zaalouk
Zaalouk is a unique Moroccan popular dish made with fried and grilled eggplant, as well as two varieties of pepper, spicy and sweet, depending on mood. It is frequently served as a salad, particularly in the winter, when Moroccans prefer hot salads to cold salads. It is referred to as “Baba Ghanouj” in several Middle Eastern nations.
Zaalouk is popular in other Maghreb nations, such as Algeria and Tunisia, and is similar to many other well-known Moroccan cuisines, such as couscous, with the distinction being in the cooking procedure, methods, and ingredients utilized. In any event, the eggplant remains a key ingredient in the preparation of the meal in all of these countries.
Moroccan zaalouk is no exception to the quality and robust tastes that may be obtained by employing simple ingredients in the proper quantities. This prepared salad is offered as a side dish to many meals, although it is most commonly served as a dip with crusty bread.
Zaalouk (photo: https://www.cookinglight.com/)
Zaalouk (photo: https://www.thespruceeats.com/)
Harira
Harira is a Moroccan soup made with tomato, lentils, and chickpeas. It’s a must-try Moroccan dish since it’s wonderfully fragrant and has a zesty taste. It’s a popular dish in Moroccan households and restaurants, and it’s also marketed as street food.
The most popular soup that Moroccans eat all year and especially during the holy month of Ramadan is to break the fast every day. Harira is one of the most complete Moroccan dishes. It contains a variety of components like pastry, herbs, tomatoes, and so on. All of these ingredients are high in nutrients, such as proteins and carbohydrates found in pulses like lentils and chickpeas, which provide energy to the body.
Harira is also high in mineral salts and vitamins, particularly vitamin “D,” which is present in coriander, parsley, and celery, not to mention the cancer-fighting vitamins in tomatoes.
Harira (photo: https://tasteofmaroc.com/)
Harira (photo: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/)
Bisara
Bisara, is a soup and a bean dip in North African cuisine of Berber provenance that is made using dry, puréed wide beans as the main component. Garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, fiery red pepper, cumin, and salt are among the other components. Bisara can also be made with split peas or chickpeas.
Bisara is popular in Morocco throughout the cooler months of the year, and it may be found in town squares and numerous alleyways. It’s usually served in shallow bowls or soup plates, with olive oil, paprika, and cumin on top. Bread is sometimes dipped into the dish, and lemon juice is occasionally added as a topping.
This puree of dry split fava beans may appear unappealing at first, but a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a liberal sprinkle of cumin and cayenne pepper rapidly elevate it to something wonderful. With crusty bread and a glass of Moroccan mint tea, it’s perfect for breakfast, dinner, or anytime in between.
Bisara (photo: https://cheapandcheerfulcooking.com/)
Bisara (photo: https://tasteofmaroc.com/)
Seffa
Seffa is a delectable Moroccan dish that is popular during Ramadan and other special occasions. It’s created with vermicelli, raisins, almonds, and spices. Saffa or Sfouf are other names for this dish.
Seffa is a couscous-like food that is steamed. It could be vermicelli, rice, or any other sort of pastry. In the case of Saffa with chicken, each dish is prepared independently of the other. Seffa is cooked as usual, while the chicken is spiced and flavored. When it’s time to serve, the chicken is buried under Seffa. Powdered sugar and cinnamon are used to garnish the dish.
This dish is typically served at the end of dinner, before dessert. Aside from seffa, there are sweetened cuscus delicacies such as mesfouf. Seffa is frequently served at traditional weddings and family gatherings.
Seffa (photo : https://tasteofmaroc.com/)
Seffa (photo: Youtube)