Morocco: Recipes and Cuisine

Typical Moroccan Dishes

Appetizers

Briouat (Savory stuffed pastries)
Mslalla (Marinated olives)

Soups and Stews

Chorba (Vegetable and pasta soup)
Harira (Ramadan stew)

Salads

Mzoura (Carrot salad)
Shlada bi Lichine (Orange and walnuts salad)
Shlada dyal Bedenjan (Eggplant salad)

Eggs and Dairy

Rayib (Yogurt made with artichoke hearts)

Poultry

Bstila (Pigeon pie)
Djej bil Einab (Chicken with grapes)
Djej Kdra Touimiya (Chicken with almonds and chickpeas)
Djej M'Chemel (Chicken with olives and lemon)
Djeja M'Qalli (Chicken with coriander and mint)
Tajine de Poulet aux Fruits secs et aux Amandes (Chicken braised with dried fruit and almonds)

Meats

Brik bil Lahm (Lamb turnovers)
El Lahm el Mahammer (Lamb in a red sauce)
El Lahm el M'Qalli (Lamb with olives and lemons)
Kefta (Spiced meatballs)
Lahm Mashwi (Lamb kebabs)
Mechoui (Spit-roasted lamb)
Mzouria (Honeyed lamb tagine)
Qamama (Lamb tagine with honey and onions)
Qubdan (Spiced lamb kebabs)
Tfaia (Lamb tagine with eggs and almonds)

Fish and Seafood

Hut b'Noua (Fish with almond paste)
Hut bu-Etob (Fish stuffed with dates)

Vegetables and Beans

Kseksu Bidawi (Couscous with seven vegetables)

Breads and Grains

Couscous (North African pasta)
Khubz Araby (Pocket bread; see Pita recipe)
Rghaif (Flaky crepes)
Warkha (Thin pastry sheets)

Sauces and Condiments

Amlou (Argan oil, almond paste and honey spread)
Chermoula (Marinade of herbs, spices and lemon juice)
Harissa (North African spice paste)

Pickles and Preserves

Matecha M'assla (Sweet tomato jam)
Msir (Preserved lemons)

Desserts

Ghoriba (Almond cookies)
Griouche (Sesame honey pastry)
Haloua Tpolo (Chocolate-sesame cones)
Kab el Ghzal ("Gazelle horn" pastry)
Majoun (Cannabis, honey and spice sweet)
M'Hanncha (Coiled almond pastry)
Seffa (Sweet couscous with dried fruit)
Sfinj (Donuts)

Beverages

Lben (Fermented whey beverage)
Nana (Mint tea)
Sharbat Billooz (Almond milk)

Recommended Cookbooks

The Momo Cookbook: A Gastronomic Journey Through North Africa

author: Momo Mazouz
ASIN or ISBN-10: 0743263723
binding: Paperback
list price: $25.00 USD
amazon price: $25.00

Sumptuous dishes from one of London's most fashionable restaurants, offering up the sensuous flavors of North African cuisine.

Vegetarian Table : North Africa

author: Kitty Morse
ASIN or ISBN-10: 0811830373
binding: Paperback
list price: $16.95 USD
amazon price: $16.95

"An exciting new perspective on a cherished cuisine" (The San Francisco Chronicle), the Vegetarian Table series celebrates the rich diversity of flavors, fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes, and the variety of enticing spices found all over the world, providing the perfect opportunity for indulging the vegetarian palate. Lavishly illustrated with stunning full-color photography and text by some of the finest food writers in the industry, this popular Chronicle Books series is now available in paperback. Read more »

Cafe Morocco

author: Anissa Helou
ASIN or ISBN-10: 0809226677
binding: Paperback
list price: $19.95 USD
amazon price: $19.95

The Moroccan cuisine blends African, Arabian, and European influences to make some of the most exotic food in the world. The subtle and fragrant flavors of the cuisine are adapted for the modern kitchen in this cookbook. Many of the 75 dishes featured are the same offered at Moroccan bistros, where strollers can stop and have kebabs or steaming couscous. Most important, the recipes are simple to prepare and healthy to eat!

Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen

author: Kitty Morse
ASIN or ISBN-10: 081181503X
binding: Paperback
list price: $22.95 USD
amazon price: $20.65 USD

Moroccan food features the delicious flavors and health benefits of other Mediterranean cuisines, but tantalizes the senses with its own unique combinations of spices and simple ingredients. Grilled meats, vegetable or fruit tagines (stews), delicately spiced salads, couscous, and sweet or savory pastries are its hallmarks. Kitty Morse, who grew up in Casablanca, brings to this new book fascinating details about life and food in Morocco. Her approach to this exotic culinary tradition is surprisingly accessible yet authentic. Read more »

Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco

author: Paula Wolfert
ASIN or ISBN-10: 0060913967
binding: Paperback
list price: $19.00 USD
amazon price: $14.82 USD

Since it was first published in 1973, Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco has established itself as the classic work on one of the world's great cuisines. From the magnificent bisteeyas (enormous, delicate pies composed of tissue-thin, buttery layers of pastry and various fillings) to endless varieties of couscous, Paula Wolfert reveals not only the riches of the Moroccan kitchen but also the variety and flavor of the country itself. Read more »

Moroccan Recipes

Couscous

(North African steamed pasta grains)

Couscous is a commonly served starch in the region of Northwest Africa known as the Maghreb. In typical Maghreb cooking, couscous is cooks in the top part of a pot known as a couscousière. The bottom part holds a stew, or tagine, whose simmering steams and flavors the couscous. The method described here is the quick way to make couscous. It does not make as fluffy or fragrant a dish, but it is much easier and requires no special equipment.

Djej Emshmel

(Moroccan chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemons)

Djej emshmel is a popular Moroccan chicken tagine also known as djej m'chemel, djej emshemel or djej emsharmel. The unique flavor of the chicken slow simmered with olives and preserved lemons highlights the best aspects of Moroccan cuisine.

Harira

(North African lamb and chickpea stew)

Harira is a soup from the Maghreb region of North Africa that is especially popular as an iftar meal to break the daily fast during Ramadan. There are innumerable variations of this hearty, healthy soup, but most recipes are for chunks of lamb slow simmered with tomatoes, chickpeas, spices and herbs.

Harissa

(North African peppers and spice paste)

Harissa is a common spice paste seasoning in the Maghreb of Northern Africa, especially in Tunisia. It is used to add flavor to couscous, pasta, sandwiches and soups, either as a condiment or as an integral ingredient of dishes.

Kefta

(Middle Eastern spiced meatballs)

Spiced meatballs are common in one form or another from Morocco in the west through the Middle East (kefta or kufta), to Greece (keftedes), Turkey (köfte), Armenia (kyufta), Iran (kufteh, or koofteh) and all the way to India (kofta) in the east. All names for these little balls of wonder derive from the Persian verb kuftan, which means "to grind."

Khoubz, or Khubz, Araby

(Mediterranean pocket bread; see Pita recipe)

Limoonada

(Middle Eastern lemonade; see Lemonade recipe)

Mslalla

(North African marinated olives appetizer; see Olive Marinate recipe variations)

Tagine de Poulet aux Fruits Secs

(Moroccan chicken braised with dried fruit)

This is a wonderful Moroccan tagine, redolent with the sweet flavors of the dried fruit. Serve tagine de poulet aux fruits secs with couscous. Place a heap of couscous on a plate with steep sides, ladle the tagine over the top and spoon extra sauce around the edge.