Moroccan cuisine has long been considered as one of the most diversified cuisines in the world.

The reason is because of the interaction of Morocco with the outside world for centuries. The cuisine of Morocco is a mix of Arab, Berber, Moorish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean African, Iberian, and Jewish influences. The cooks in the ro al kitchens of !e", Meknes, Marrakech, #abat and Tetouan refined Moroccan cuisine over the centuries and created the basis for what is known as Moroccan cuisine toda . Influence and history Being at the crossroads of man civili"ations, the cuisine of Morocco has been influenced b the native Berber cuisine, the Arabic Andalusian cuisine$ brought b the Moriscos when the left %&ain, the Turkish cuisine from the Turkish and the Middle Eastern cuisines brought b the Arabs as well as the Jewish cuisine. The histor of Morocco is reflected in its cuisine. 'olitical refugees left Baghdad in the Middle Ages and settled in Morocco, bringing with them traditional reci&es that are now common in Morocco but forgotten in the Middle East. (e know this because there are striking similarities between a )*th centur +,hristian reckoning- collection of reci&es b Al.Baghdadi, and contem&orar Moroccan dishes. A signature characteristic is cooking fruit with meat like /uince with lamb or a&ricots with chicken. !urther influences u&on Moroccan cuisine came from the Morisco +Muslim refugees- who were ex&elled from %&ain during the %&anish in/uisition. According to 'aula (olfert, the s&ecialist of Moroccan cuisine and author of a renowned book on the sub0ect (see recipe books section)1

To m mind four things are necessar before a nation can develo& a great cuisine. The first is an abundance of fine ingredients, a rich land. The second is a variet of cultural influences1 the histor of the nation, including its domination b foreign &owers, and the culinar secrets it has brought back from its own im&erialist adventures. Third, a great civili"ation, if a countr has not had its da in the sun, its cuisine will &robabl not be great$ great food and a great civili"ation go together. 2ast, the existence of a refined &alace life, without ro al kitchens, without a 3ersailles or a !orbidden ,it in 'eking, without, in short, the demands of a cultivated court, the imaginations of a nation4s cooks will not be challenged. Morocco, fortunatel , is blessed with all four.

[edit] Ingredients Morocco &roduces a large range of Mediterranean fruits and vegetables and even some tro&ical ones. The countr &roduces large /uantities of shee&, cattle, &oultr , and seafood which serve as a base for the cuisine. [edit] Use of spices

%&ices at central market in Agadir %&ices are used extensivel in Moroccan food. (hile s&ices have been im&orted to Morocco for thousands of ears, man ingredients, like saffron from Tiliouine, mint and olives from Meknes, and oranges and lemons from !e", are home.grown. ,ommon s&ices include karfa +cinnamon-, kamoun +cumin-, kharkoum +turmeric-, skingbir +ginger-, libzar +&e&&er- , tahmira +&a&rika-, anis seed, sesame seed, kasbour +coriander-, maadnous +&arsle -, zaafrane beldi +saffron- and mint. [edit] Structure of meals The midda meal is the main meal, with the exce&tion of the hol month of #amadan. The t &ical formal meal begins with a series of hot and cold salads, followed b a tagine. Bread is eaten with ever meal. 5ften a lamb or chicken dish is next, followed b couscous to&&ed with meats and vegetables. A cu& of sweet mint tea is commonl used to end the meal. It is common for Moroccans to eat using the fingers of their hand, and use bread as a 6utensil.6 [edit] Main dishes

!resh ,ouscous with vegetables and chick&eas.

See also: List of Moroccan dishes The main Moroccan dish most &eo&le are familiar with is couscous which is ver old and is &robabl of Berber origin. Beef is the most commonl eaten red meat in Morocco. 2amb is &referred, but is not as common due to its higher cost. 'oultr was historicall used and the im&ortance of seafood is increasing in Moroccan food. The breed of shee& in 7orth Africa has much of its fat concentrated in its tail, which means that Moroccan lamb does not have the &ungent flavor that (estern lamb and mutton can have. Among the most famous Moroccan dishes are ,ouscous, 'astilla +also s&elled Bstee a or Bastilla-, Ta0ine, Tan0ia and 8arira. Although the latter is a sou&, it is considered as a dish in itself and is served as such or with dates es&eciall during the month of #amadan. A Berber &it oven for baking bread [edit] Desserts %weets are not necessaril served at the end of a Moroccan meal. A common dessert is kaab el ghzal +6ga"elle4s horns6-, which is a &astr stuffed with almond &aste and to&&ed with sugar. Another dessert is hone cakes, which is essentiall &ret"el.sha&ed &ieces of dough dee&.fried and di&&ed into a hot &ot of hone and s&rinkled with sesame seeds. 8alwa %hebakia are cookies eaten during the month of #amadan. 9ucre ,oco are coconut fudge cakes. [edit] Drinks Main article: Moroccan tea culture (oman &ouring mint tea into tea glasses in a Moroccan village The most &o&ular drink is green tea with mint. Traditionall , making good mint tea in Morocco is considered an art form and the drinking of it with friends and famil members is one of the im&ortant rituals of the da . The techni/ue of &ouring the tea is as crucial as the /ualit of the tea. The tea is accom&anied with hard sugar cones or lum&s. Moroccan tea &ots have long, curved &ouring s&outs and this allows the tea to be &oured evenl into tin glasses from a height. To ac/uire the o&timum taste, glasses are filled in two stages. The Moroccans traditionall like tea with bubbles, so while &ouring the hold the tea&ot high above the glasses. The tea is sold all around the countr usuall around :*.; a cu&. <ou can also &urchase it from su&ermarkets around the countr for various &rices. [edit] Snacks and Fastfood

%treet fastfood %elling fast food in the street has long been a tradition, and the best exam&le is =0emaa el !na s/uare in Marrakech. %tarting in the )>?@s, new snack restaurants started serving 6Bocadillo6 +which is a %&anish word for a sandwich, widel used in Morocco-. The bocadillo is a baguette filled with salad and a choice of meats, or similar to a tortilla, which is also a widel used term. =uring the )>>@s, a new trend started to emerge. 7ew dair &roduct sho&s +Mahlaba in Moroccan Arabic- began to o&en throughout cities in Morocco. Those mahlabas generall offer all t &es of dair &roducts, 0uices, and breakfasts as well as bocadillos, com&eting with former established snack restaurants. The late )>>@s also ex&erienced the o&ening of franchises of multinational fast food chains, es&eciall in ma0or cities. The tea is sold all around the countr usuall around :*.; a cu&. <ou can also &urchase it from su&ermarkets around the countr for various &rices.