Vitamin-rich Moroccan argan oil is
popular as a cosmetic, but also as a
gourmet treat: the toasted-hazelnut
flavour makes an intriguing dipping oil
and exotic salad dressing.Before dinner, your host may appear
with a pitcher and a deep tray. Hold out
your hands, and your host will pour
rosewater over them.
tasteless, watery or overcooked.
Dessert At lunchtime, dessert is usually sweet mint tea served
with almond cookies. You may not think you have room, but one
bite of a dreamy kaab al-ghazal (crescent-shaped ‘gazelle’s
horns’ cookie stuffed with almond paste and laced with orange-
flower water) will surely convince you otherwise. A light,
refreshing option is the tart-sweet orange á canelle (orange
slices with cinnamon and orange-flower water).L’Asha (Dinner)
Dinner in Morocco doesn’t usually start until around 8pm or
9pm, after work and possibly a sunset stroll. Most Moroccans
eat dinner at home, but you may notice young professionals,
students and bachelors making a beeline for the local snak or
pizzeria. In the winter, you’ll see vendors crack open steaming
vats of harira (a hearty soup with a base of tomatoes, onions,
saffron and cilantro, often with lentils, chickpeas and/or lamb).
Dinner at home may often be harira and lunch leftovers, with the notable exception of Ramadan
and other celebrations.
VEGETARIANS: YOUR MOROCCAN MENU
» » Breakfast Load up on Moroccan pastries, pancakes, fresh fruit and fresh-squeezed juice. Fresh goat’s cheese and olives
from the souq are solid savoury choices with fresh-baked khoobz ( bread). Bessara is a delicious bean soup that’s typically
meat-free, but steer clear of bubbling roadside vats if you’re squeamish – they may contain snails or sheep’s-head soup.
» » Lunch Try the mezze of salads, which come with fresh bread and may range from delicate cucumbers in orange-blossom
water to substantial herbed beets laced with kaffir lime. Vegetarians can sometimes, but not always, order a Berber vegetable
tajine or Casablanca-style couscous with seven vegetables. Ingredients are bought fresh daily in small quantities and the chef
may not have factored vegetarians into the restaurant’s purchases – so call ahead if you can. Pizza is another widely available
and inexpensive menu option, best when spiked with local herbs and olives.
» » Snacks Market stalls feature cascades of dried figs, dates and apricots alongside towering cones of roasted nuts with salt,
honey, cinnamon, cane sugar or hot pepper. Chickpeas and other pulses are roasted, served hot in a paper cone with cumin
and salt, and not to be missed. Tea-time menus at swanky restaurants may feature broiuats, cigar-shaped pastries stuffed
with goat’s cheese or egg and herbs, plus finger sandwiches, pastries and cakes. If that’s not enough, there’s always ice
cream, and mint tea with cookies or nuts are hardly ever more than a carpet shop away.
» » Dinner For a hearty change of pace from salads and couscous, try a vegetarian pasta (anything with eggplant is
especially tasty) or omelette (usually served with thick-cut fries). If you’re staying in a Moroccan guesthouse, before you leave
in the morning you can usually request a vegetarian tajine made to order with market-fresh produce. Pity you can’t do that at
home, right?Diffa
With enough hard currency and room in your stomach, you might prefer restaurants to snak
fare for dinner. Most upscale Moroccan restaurants cater to tourists, serving an elaborate prix
fixe Moroccan diffa (feast) in a palatial setting. This is not a dine-and-dash meal, but an
evening’s entertainment that often includes live music or belly dancing and wine or beer.
Fair warning about palace restaurants: your meal may come with a side order of kitsch.
Many palace restaurants appear to have been decorated by a genie,