The best ways to learn how to cook Moroccan dishes
It’s been a long time since I
could post anything to my blog, which I highly value. I had issues with time
and money management mostly. I almost ended up in Morocco last August, but
unfortunately, I had to change my plans and postpone my journey. I do miss
Morocco. Most of all, what I miss is all the fantastic dishes, which are the
best when you get the chance to have it cooked in a real Moroccan home.
And this leads to the key
problem when it comes to learning how to cook the Moroccan way. The
ingredients, the spices, and the atmosphere add up to make a dish fully and
completely Moroccan. This is why I was hesitant about how exactly I should write when
it comes to teaching about proper Moroccan cuisine.
The other problem is the
recipes. It’s quite challenging to find good resources when it comes to Moroccan
dishes. First of all, there is a language problem. I failed to learn proper
French which is a language most people talk in Morocco instead of English. It
can happen, that the French internet is, in fact, full of authentic Moroccan
recipes. But when it comes to the English internet all we can rely on, are
mostly half-hearted recipes, which would not fully reflect the tastes which I
was so lucky to experience in Morocco.
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| Moroccan tajine with the best proper side dishes |
Moroccan cookware is a key
ingredient when it comes to preparing 100% Moroccan dishes. And the spices are
the best when you get to buy these fresh at any of the Moroccan souks or
markets. But, as it happens with many things and aspects of life we need to
compromise here and there.
About the roots of Moroccan cuisine
Moroccan cuisine has been
affected by lots of nations and geographical factors, which also affects its
climate. However, Morocco is special for many reasons:
·
geographical location and the extreme closeness
to Spain
·
It’s been gifted with almost all the existing
climate (with the sole exception of the cold and very cold ones). It has the Mediterranean
and Ocean seashores which mean a great variety of seafood. It has a mountain
areas which mean being gifted with a larger variety of food, plants, spices
many of which grow under different climates.
·
It’s been gifted with the ancient craft of
preparing both spices, cookware but also the highest quality oils. This has a
fantastic effect on its cuisine.
· Throughout history, Morocco has also been affected
by several cultures: European ( French and Spanish), African (due to its
location) and Arabic ( as the key conqueror of the region)
·
The oldest tribes which we call Berber also have
greatly affected Moroccan cuisine. Many of Morocco’s traditional dishes have Berber
origins. See Tajin as the perfect example.
·
Last but not least Moroccan cuisine is bearing all
the effects of the Muslim religion.
Learn more by visiting my
previous post about the Origins of Moroccan cuisine.
There are tons of recipes which
are passed on within families and even more which are kept in secret. This means any outsider who gets to learn how to cook from a Moroccan woman is considered
very lucky.
In addition to this, if you go to
a standard hotel instead of a good riad, you won’t get the chance to taste the
real authentic Moroccan dishes. Hotels mostly serve a simplified and standardized version of all dishes, to ensure that the more people get to eat
them.
Where to eat real authentic Moroccan dishes
If you are so lucky to be able to
travel to Morocco, the best cities to be, for authentic food and culture are
definitely Fés (Fez) and Marrakech. These are also the two cities which have by
far the richest cultural heritage, the best authentic markets (souks) and this
is where you can get to try the best food too.
If you aren’t so lucky to be able
to join a Moroccan family, make sure you read a handful of reviews and visit my
blog (https://riadsofmorocco) to learn
about all the best riads and how to find these. Riads place high importance
on providing a family-like atmosphere for their guests. This also includes the
dishes which are made in the best authentic way. I am constantly working on
finding the very best and most authentic riads to show to my readers. Check
back on my site for updates.
Experiment Moroccan cooking by joining a local cooking course
This is a relatively new service
but it has sound success. These days you can also join cookery classes,
especially if you are in Marrakech. These would teach you how to cook a couple
of basic yet yummy Moroccan dishes. I will link the best websites for you to
book your cooking course. Head on to my newest post about the best Moroccan
cooking courses.
Join a gastro-tour to learn more about Moroccan cuisine
There are foodie-tours through
the ancient city (Medina or Madinat) of Fez and also in the Medina of Marrakech.
I will link the best places which provide great gastro- tours below. Head on to
my newest post to learn about the best websites offering gastro tours in
Marrakech.
Check out my post on the best places to eat out in Morocco to learn more about some of the best places to try local food.
The best websites to help you learn cooking Moroccan dishes
And here we go, the key reason I’ve decided to make this post. For all
those enthusiastic cookers out there, who may not have the chance to visit
Morocco right away but who would be happy to try to experiment with cooking
Moroccan dishes I have found the two best English websites, which do not only
contain authentic recipes but they have by far the best and most down-to-earth
description of how to prepare Moroccan food. They also offer recipes for new starters. As Morocco is not like any European country with a world-famous
cuisine, it’s challenging to find the really good stuff. This is also why I’m
glad to present you with these two gems.
Both these websites are written by American women who have Moroccan
husbands and who live in Morocco. This way, they have the best hands-on
experience and they were so lucky, to be able to learn how to cook from their
respective Moroccan family members. Hats off to them.
Let’s get started!
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| taste of Maroc website |
If there is only one website you want
to visit, to learn how to cook Moroccan dishes with great step by step
photo-guides and a very good description then this should be the place for you
to click on. I’ve been a fan of Christine Benlafquih for a very long time. I
can 100% assure you that there is no other website that would have such an
extensive variety of Moroccan recipes. She would not only throw recipes at
you but would also have tons of resources that would tell you about the spices
and all the traditional ingredients used in Moroccan cuisine. Please visit
her site and thank me later. Apart from tons of recipes, Christine would also
release more and more extensive information talking about Moroccan culture and
destinations.
This is another website that’s operated
by an American woman called Amanda who married her Moroccan husband and after
living in the US, they decided to settle in Morocco. I love the recipes and all
the experiences she is sharing. She also has some great posts about all the
healthy effects of Moroccan spices and I like her way of explaining how to cook
authentic Moroccan dishes. Apart from that, she is also digging into food tours
or culinary tours in Morocco so please check with her if you are interested. Apart
from Moroccan, she also shares international recipe and travel information on
her website. Check her out!
I hope you liked my post. Visit
my other posts and my website at https:karasblog.net where I make posts about
all sorts of different topics.
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