Morocco

One of our globe's most ancient spice-producing countries honing their craft of subtle and clever flavour balancing for centuries. Morocco is a spice mecca that's all about combining the sweet and savoury in rich, sumptuous tagine that is prepared uniquely for this remarkable country.

Influences

Hospitality is the foundation of Moroccan dining, and food with every meal is a cause for celebration and appreciation.

Jammed full of flavour.

Their most famous spice blend is Moroccan Ras el Hanout. Arabic for 'top of the shop,' Ras el Hanout is traditionally a combination of all of the spice producers' best spices. It's a masterful blend of sweet, savoury, and Picante that's well-rounded and balanced in flavour without an overwhelming spicy hit. This iconic blend is usually a closely guarded secret, and the recipe varies from house to house. Still, most Ras el Hanout will include ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, paprika, and nutmeg. It's a true taste of authentic Morocco and a scent indicative of a traditional Moroccan souk.

History & influences

Moroccan cuisine is known worldwide for its unusual food pairings, exotic flavours, and famed cooking implements. Still, the Moroccan food we see today has been heavily influenced by many cultures and periods in history.

Thousands of years ago, the Berbers formed the dominant ethnic group Saharan Africa and were responsible for introducing locally grown ingredients into cooking, such as olives, figs, and dates. These were predominantly used in the preparation of lamb and chicken and still are to this day.

In later years at the end of the 7th century, the Arabs arrived in Morocco, bringing grains, bread, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, cumin, and caraway to compliment the sweet-savoury flavours they had adopted from the Persians. Looking at Moroccan food's nature and flavours today, this seems to have been one of the most pivotal moments in their cuisine's history.

During the 7th and 8th centuries, Jewish migrants began to settle in North Africa, bringing with them the concepts of pickling and preserving fruits and vegetables. The adoption of this technique is a contributor to the famous Moroccan cooking ingredient preserved lemon.

Morocco

Iconic Dishes

Drag and drop block options like heading, text, buttons, dividers, and more.One of our world’s most ancient spice-producing countries, Morocco has been honing their craft of spice blending for centuries and ingraining it in iconic Middle Eastern dishes of braised Tagines, white bean Loubia and rich Harira soup all mopped up by mounds of fluffy couscous. Moroccan mint tea, fresh fruit platters and Chebekia cookies end every meal whilst iced-cold carrot and orange smoothies help combat the hot climate.

Morocco

Spiceology

Known for their love of spices, Moroccans pay a great deal of attention to freshly ground spices and growing and harvesting the best for grinding.

Generations of spice farmers learn the art of spice producing and mixing. This is most commonly the case with saffron. Worth its weight in gold, saffron is the most expensive and highly sought-after spice in the world.

Not only an investment in their cuisine, but much of the country's business is also due to spice growing, producing, and trading. Most commonly around Morocco, you'll find black pepper, turmeric, and ginger.

The most authentic saffron in the world is obtained from a small town in Morocco called Taliouine, located at the base of the Sirwa Mountains. This town is proud of its history with this rich spice so if you're ever in town, visit the local stalls to get a tour of the farms and learn a little more about its rich history.