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Tagine, couscous and mint tea: a guide to Moroccan cooking
From slow-cooked stews to the welcome tea: the dishes and customs worth knowing before you sit down to eat.
Moroccan cooking is one of the great joys of the trip. It blends Amazigh, Arab and Andalusian influences and is built on spices, slow cooking and seasonal produce.
Tagine
The word names both the dish and the clay pot with a conical lid it is cooked in. There are tagines of chicken with preserved lemon and olives, lamb with prunes and almonds, vegetables, or kefta with egg.
Couscous
Traditionally the Friday dish, shared with family. The semolina is steamed and served with vegetables and meat, often with a spiced broth.
Other specialities
Harira: a pulse and tomato soup, especially present during Ramadan.
Pastilla: a filled pastry that combines sweet and savoury.
Zaalouk: an aubergine and tomato dip.
Mint tea: a symbol of hospitality, poured from a height.
A few customs at the table
Dishes are usually shared, eaten with the right hand and a piece of bread. If you are invited for tea, accepting is a gesture of courtesy.
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