A dish to remember
Moroccan Memories
Taniah Tudor
Issue date: 2/18/09 Section: Lifestyles
Editor's Note: This is the last article of a three-part travel series.
I love to cook and I love to eat. I didn't get to be a fat girl by hating food. As I have grown older, my taste buds have grown with me, so I was especially excited to be able to experience the food of Morocco, a country known for its delicious cuisine.
Rich and abundant spices, such as saffron, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, chilies and cumin, distinguish Moroccan cooking. The food reflects the flavors of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Spain, as does much of Moroccan life.
Fortune smiled on me, as most of the meals I ate in Morocco were cooked in the homes of friends, which is where Moroccans say the best dishes are to be found.
I ate my first meal, breakfast, soon after I arrived in the country. Moroccans don't use utensils for eating, except for some salads. Instead they eat with three fingers of their right hand, and bread is also used as a utensil. Though bread can be broken with both hands, it is considered both rude and unhygienic to use it for any other purpose when eating. In formal meals, a bowl and a pitcher of cool water are brought around so that guests may cleanse their hands before eating, and hot water after to wash off food residue.
My first Moroccan breakfast consisted of nuts and fruit, bread and a strange meat, which was similar to a pickled sausage, but had the texture of a hot dog and was served as little shavings in a bowl. There was honey and olive oil for dipping the bread, soft cheese and what I think was goat butter.
Most other meals begin with a huge, elaborate salad. In Morocco, the salads consist of white rice surrounded by cooked potatoes and fresh or cooked vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrots, beets, radishes and green peas. They're topped off with olives, eggs and dollops of mayonnaise.
Next is the main course, which again is served with little loaves. Everyone eats off of the same dish, and the choicest foods are put in front of the guests.
I love to cook and I love to eat. I didn't get to be a fat girl by hating food. As I have grown older, my taste buds have grown with me, so I was especially excited to be able to experience the food of Morocco, a country known for its delicious cuisine.
Rich and abundant spices, such as saffron, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, chilies and cumin, distinguish Moroccan cooking. The food reflects the flavors of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Spain, as does much of Moroccan life.
Fortune smiled on me, as most of the meals I ate in Morocco were cooked in the homes of friends, which is where Moroccans say the best dishes are to be found.
I ate my first meal, breakfast, soon after I arrived in the country. Moroccans don't use utensils for eating, except for some salads. Instead they eat with three fingers of their right hand, and bread is also used as a utensil. Though bread can be broken with both hands, it is considered both rude and unhygienic to use it for any other purpose when eating. In formal meals, a bowl and a pitcher of cool water are brought around so that guests may cleanse their hands before eating, and hot water after to wash off food residue.
My first Moroccan breakfast consisted of nuts and fruit, bread and a strange meat, which was similar to a pickled sausage, but had the texture of a hot dog and was served as little shavings in a bowl. There was honey and olive oil for dipping the bread, soft cheese and what I think was goat butter.
Most other meals begin with a huge, elaborate salad. In Morocco, the salads consist of white rice surrounded by cooked potatoes and fresh or cooked vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrots, beets, radishes and green peas. They're topped off with olives, eggs and dollops of mayonnaise.
Next is the main course, which again is served with little loaves. Everyone eats off of the same dish, and the choicest foods are put in front of the guests.
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