Morocco mint tea Few people outside the cities have clocks in Morocco, planning instead of their days on the five calls to prayer and the five daily meals. Yes, five years ago. Breakfast is early morning, followed by a second breakfast at midmorning. Lunch is served at noon and in the afternoon there is a break for tea and bread. Finally, dinner is served in the evening.
These rhythms are predictable and universally across the country. What you can expect to find on a Moroccan table at one of these meals is not too hard to guess. Morocco has a long and proud culinary tradition, and families rarely exceed away bases. Fortunately, the basics are universally delicious.
Pain - If a Moroccan house without bread, something is deeply wrong. Bread is the only true staple of the Moroccan diet, and girls learn how to bake bread for their families at an early age. While breads vary from family to family, most are circular patties and cooked using all the grains are grown locally. The breakfast usually includes bread with butter or jam and bread is also an integral part of other meals and snacks throughout the day.
Tea - The other pillar of the Moroccan food, tea is the national drink and revered as such. This is not tea, you probably had before, however; Moroccan tea is brewed in a very certain way. Starting with the green tea style gunpowder, masses of sugar and fresh mint sprigs are added to the soaking infusion, creating a syrupy sweet concoction that is never far from any table. It is served with breakfast and coffee breaks, and for dessert after lunch and dinner. While visitors often struggle with the sugar content, the Moroccans will be impressed if you take tea as they do. There is something to try at least once if you have a real sweet tooth, you will feel like home.
Tagine - The name of this dish actually comes from the conical clay pot in which it is prepared and served. Tagine is a thick vegetable stew, irrespective of the hand or in the season with a little meat added to the medium. The dish is served hot, and presented in a single dish to the table of guests. Moroccan meals are a communal affair and the tagine is shared from the single pot, with each diner keeping their own "triangle" of the parabola. Rather than using spoons or forks, tajine is eaten with bread. Tear off a small piece a wider range, the idea is to use the bread to absorb some stock while picking up some vegetables and meat. Tagine is usually eaten for dinner and lunch and standard meal in the Moroccan regime.
Couscous - When people think of Moroccan food, they often think of couscous. Moroccans are proud of their de facto national dish, and are very particular about their preparation. Instead of boiling the dried couscous in a covered pot as is often done in North America, couscous is placed in a steamer over boiling vegetable pot. Couscous is steamed in this way for an hour or more, eat periodically by hand. When the couscous is ready, it is served in one large plate, vegetables poured on top. As with tagine, couscous is eaten by hand a difficult skill for visitors to develop. Due to the nature of the work-intensive preparation, couscous is seen more as a special dish used daily. Many families have couscous every Friday (holy day), and in honor of the guests or special events.
