Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Influenced by Berber, Arabic and Mediterranean traditions, Moroccan cuisine features a
sublime use of spices and fresh produce.
It would be a culinary crime to skip breakfast in Morocco. Sidewalk cafes and kiosks
put a local twist on a Continental breakfast, with Moroccan pancakes and doughnuts,
French pastries, coffee and mint tea. Follow your nose into the souqs, where you'll find
tangy olives and local
jiben
(fresh goat's or cow's milk cheeses) to be devoured with fresh
khoobz
(Moroccan-style pita bread baked in a wood-fired oven).
Lunch is traditionally the biggest meal of the day in Morocco. The most typical Moroc-
can dish is tajine, a meat-and-vegetable stew cooked slowly in an earthenware dish.
Couscous, fluffy steamed semolina served with tender meat and vegetables, is another
staple. Fish dishes also make an excellent choice in coastal areas, while
harira
is a thick
soup made from lamb stock, lentils, chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs and spices.
Bastilla,
a speciality of Fez, includes poultry (chicken or pigeon), almonds, cinnamon,
saffron and sugar, encased in layer upon layer of very fine pastry.
Vegetarians shouldn't have any problems - fresh fruit and vegetables are widely avail-
able, as are lentils and chickpeas. Salads are ubiquitous, particularly
salade marocaine
made from diced green peppers, tomatoes and onion. Ask for your couscous or tajine
sans
viande
(without meat), or go for beans
(loubiya)
or pea-and-garlic soup
(bsara)
.
For dessert, Moroccan patisseries concoct excellent French and Moroccan sweets.
Local sweets include flaky pastries rich with nuts and aromatic traces of orange-flower
water. Another variation is a
bastilla,
with toasted almonds, cinnamon and cream.
Cafe culture is alive and well in Morocco, and mint tea - the legendary 'Moroccan
whisky' - is made with Chinese gunpowder tea, fresh mint and copious amounts of sugar.
Fruit juices, especially freshly squeezed orange juice, are the country's greatest bargain.
It's not advisable to drink tap water in Morocco. Beer is easy to find in the Villes
Nouvelles - local brands include Casablanca and Flag. Morocco also produces some sur-
prisingly good wines from the Meknès area: try President Cabernet and Medallion Caber-
net for reds, or the whites Coquillages and Sémillant Blanc.
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Environment
Morocco's three ecological zones - coast, mountain and desert - host more than 40 differ-
ent ecosystems and provide habitat for many endemic species, including the iconic and
sociable Barbary macaque (also known as the Barbary ape). The pressure upon these eco-
systems from ever-more-sprawling urban areas and the encroachment of industrialisation
