Moroccan kitchen spices – Harissa, Saffron & more…

Moroccan food is one of the most sensual in the world and it is even better with Saffron. It appeals directly and unashamedly to the senses of smell, sight and taste in a way that no other cuisine can match. Most of all, the recipes have been practiced for centuries.

Moroccan souks are magical places, with smells and sights that make one feel hungry just thinking about them. At every corner, waft different smells to surprise and delight. The Moroccan-born writer Edmond Amran el Maleh described Moroccan cuisine as "the perfumed soul of our culture", a unique blend of African, Arabian and European influences. The result: a cuisine characterised by its subtle scents, delicate flavours and elegant presentation.

Moroccan cuisine is technically famous for its tagines, slow-cooked stews made from lamb, beef, chicken or vegetables, flavoured with fragrant spices and served with couscous, tiny ‘grains’ made from wheat semolina.

Characteristic flavourings in Moroccan cooking include fragrant spices and spice mixtures, such as ras-el-hanout, and flavourings such as preserved lemons (with their distinctive sour tang) and perfumed rose and orange blossom water. However, Moroccans tend to go through their spice supplies quickly. This means that old, bitter spices are rarely an issue. For best results when cooking a Moroccan dish, make sure that you’re using fresh spices. Now days it is very easy to find Moroccan ingredients in your local supermarket. Here are a few:

Standard Common Spices:
 

• Salt
• Pepper
• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Other Common Spices

Here are some other spices you’ll frequently encounter in Moroccan cooking.

• Saffron
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Cinnamon
• White pepper

Couscous:

Made from semolina, this is a staple food in North Africa and has a delicate flavour and light, fluffy  texture. Preparing couscous is very easy as it simply needs moistening and steaming. It’s classically served with tagines to soak up the dish’s tasty broth.

Cumin powder:

Made from ground cumin seeds, this aromatic spice is widely used in Moroccan cookery.

Harissa:

A hot, spicy chilli sauce, served as an accompaniment with dishes such as tagines.

Ras-el-hanout:

Amixture of many spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and nutmeg, and used as a flavouring in several dishes. There are many, many different recipes for ras-el-hanout; you can make your own mixture or use commercially available ready-mixed ones.

Saffron:

Famously the most expensive spice in the world, made from the dried stamens of the saffron crocus, saffron adds a distinctive flavour and yellow colour to dishes such as tagines. Saffron can be purchased from Eden Aromata store in variety of ways. They are sourced from some of the best Saffron Farms from around the globe.