Morocco: the land of million herbs and spices

Morocco: the land of million herbs and spices

Part 1

No matter if you have been to Morocco already or if you only looked at a couple of photos, it’s guaranteed that you have seen at least one photo of Morocco’s trademark spice sellers, who pile their spices into large and colorful pyramids. This sight is inviting enough, but so are the health effects of these spices, some of which you should really purchase there while some are widely used also in the Western cuisine.

Luckily, thanks to all the cooking channels and the globalization, today you can find several stores selling numerous Arabic, Asian and African spices, therefore you don’t necessarily need to travel if you want to prepare a good couscous, however, some of these spices are really best available in their home country, in this case Morocco. In this piece I’d like to introduce you to some of the trademark spices used in the Moroccan cuisine, along with their beneficial effects. It is no joke, some of the below listed spices are used in Morocco as medicine, to heal illnesses such as cold, bronchitis and diarrhea. I’ve experienced these healing effects myself, while I caught a cold once and also caught diarrhea, so I can attest to their healing effects myself.

I’d like to represent herbs and spices in two different chapters and in the end, I’d also like to say a few words on the beneficial effects of all the oils used in Morocco.

Curcuma/ Turmeric:

Moroccan: Quekoum

Turmeric: in its original  and grounded forms

Curcuma is often mistaken with saffron however while their colors are identical their effects and flavor differ considerably (so is their price, as curcuma is distinctively cheaper). The Western world is just starting to recognize Curcuma for its beneficial effects not to mention the fact that it’s indeed a great spice used widely in Moroccan cuisine in foods such as Couscous, Tagines, Harira and in a huge variety of fried and grilled chicken dishes. Similarly to saffron, curcuma also gives a great taste AND an attractive color to any dish families prepare on a daily basis in Morocco. It’s an interesting fact that the spice itself originates from South Asia, particularly used in the Indian cuisine and medicinal practices for a long time. Curcuma is the result of drying the root of the plant until it gets to the point that it can be well-grounded and powdered.

Curcuma has healing effects for a numerous clinical illnesses and disorders such as osteoporosis and arthritis and clinical researches work on making this a medicine for Alzheimer’s disease. It’s also said to be used against cancer. In daily life curcuma is also often used on open wounds to stop bleeding and it works!

Ginger:

Moroccan: Skinjbir

Ginger: the root and the grounded powder

 Well, I don’t have to introduce ginger as today, it’s a widely used plant both in form of spice and in form of capsules, drinks and everything else. Similarly to South East Asian cuisine, ginger is an essential part of Moroccan cuisine for its very distinctive flavor even in a very small dose. I cannot really enlist the exact foods ginger is used in because it’s basically added to every and any Moroccan food if only a hint of it. As for its local healing use in Morocco ginger is widely used to cure digestive illnesses, nausea and it’s also used to heal morning sickness for pregnant women and babies’ bloating, digestion and colic too. Ginger is also said to help with joint related diseases, muscle injuries. For medicinal use take it exactly as if you used it in foods: just a small hint of fresh ginger in tea or consumed in food can help a great deal, however consuming bigger quantities can turn its good qualities into dangerous ones.

Cinnamon:

Moroccan: Karkoum

grounded cinnamon

Anyone who is interested in African cuisine know that people use a great deal of cinnamon in their meals and that it gives meat a very good, distintive flavour. Cinnamon, this beautiful colored spice is well-known and widely used in the West however it’s a spice that’s commonly associated with sweets. Cinnamon was brought in Africa from South East Asia too, particularly from the Indian – Sri Lankan region. You can spot cinnamon in Moroccan cuisine both in meals such as the widely cooked Hssoua Belboua soup which is just great with a hint of cinnamon and sweets: chebakia, stuffed dates, sweet briouats and the sellou ( My special edition on Moroccan Sweets has to be my next blog!)  

As for its medicinal and healing effects is for digestive illnesses but its also used to help reduce cholesterol in blood and blood clotting too.  

Saffron

Moroccan: Az-za'faran

Saffron in its original form

Saffron is a legendary spice, not only for its use but merely for its color that has become popular to use in interior design all across the world. Saffron originates from Southern Europe, where its pat of the daily cuisine ( the Spanish Paella should be a great example ) The distintive warm yellow color also gives a great deal of beauty to any meals it’s been added to. Saffron is widely used in very small quantities in Morocco on a daily basis in foods such as Couscous, Tagines, Brochettes, stuffed Msemen and the list goes on. For its medicinal and healing effects saffron is used to cure digestive illnesses ( also as a prevention) , to lower blood pressure, to descrease the risk of heart diseases and for its richness in vitamins and minerals. To learn more on the beneficial effects of saffron visit this brilliant site by clicking here.  Saffron is not only famous but it’s very expensive a spice and its well enough to use it in small quantities.

Cumin:

Moroccan: Kamoon

Cumin seeds

Cumin is a trademark spice, one of the most widely used spices (both in its natural form the seed and both grounded)  in the whole Arabic world, ranging from North Africa to Saudi Arabia and similarly to ancient times, since it’s being used, cumin is as important as salt or pepper and its also kept on the table as the other two as its used similarly, to spice up basically any food ( except for sweets). Cumin is a spice used in all the Moroccan trademark dishes, such as Harira, Tagine, Couscous and you can just eat it with bread, salt and olive oil, as many do for breakfast. This spice’s medicinal effects are similar to the turmeric or curcuma, it’s said to help with morning sickness and nausea of pregnant women, gives relief from bloating, digestive illnesses such as diarrhea, it also said to have increase lactation for breastfeeding. Cumin is often consumed in form of a tea: all you need is a teaspoon of cumin ( the seed form) which you leave in boiled water for around 5 minutes, then drink it when it’s cooled down.

In my next piece I will concentrate on the beneficial and healing effects of seeds and herbs which are popular in Moroccan cuisine.

Thank you -Shokran for reading!

Special thanks to Marocmama whose great and informative piece along with a great deal of other informative articles on Morocco and Moroccan culture you can read by clicking here. Shokran!