The delights of Moroccan Lallas
Moroccan cuisine is renowned for being one of the best, perhaps the North African equivalent of French cuisine (let’s be doubly chauvinistic!). The cook may have all the latest equipment, or she may work crouched on a dirt floor in a douar, but she will always take the same care in preparing her dishes.
The festive table is abundant and varied. It’s covered with lots of small plates, two or three types of salad, a soup, a tagine, maybe two, a pastilla and, as a starter, freshly grilled kebabs.
The desserts are much more varied than just gazelle horn, and you have to try the briwats, chebakias, jaouzias, all these little cakes flavoured with almonds, pistachios, chocolate, coconut, honey… and much more simply, cinnamon oranges. And the meal ends with a coffee flavoured with cinnamon and pepper.
The food is prepared so that it can be eaten with the hands. Salads are prepared by cutting raw vegetables into tiny cubes, meats are cooked for a long time so that they fall apart easily under the bite of a small piece of bread, and small cakes, crêpes and pâtés can be eaten in just a few mouthfuls.
The vast majority of Moroccan restaurants are clean. Like the housekeepers. But the change in diet can also lead to touristas, most of which are minor. Find all our advice on how to avoid them here!
This is the kind of cuisine we’d like you to discover in our culinary weekends, and through a few recipes that you can also prepare at home. Provided you have, as in Morocco, beldi, cumin, turmeric, coriander, ginger, saffron, various chillies, cardamom, cinnamon, parsley…. And to steal the secrets of Lallas in Fez for ras-el-hanout (spice blends) that are true symphonies.
Our recipes come from all over the world. As well as Moroccan cuisine, we want to show you how to use saffron, which was once a European spice. Moroccan recipes, traditional recipes, recipes from around the world… get cooking!
Our recipes
A selection of recipes from Morocco, and for a greater appreciation of saffron, recipes from all over the world using this tasty spice.
Recipes from MoroccoMoroccan cuisine, adapted for modern life. The essentials are retained, but sometimes long preparations are replaced by shortcuts (using tomato pulp instead of making it yourself, for example). Southern cuisine, northern cuisine, quick and easy recipes or long preparations for festive days: by cooking Moroccan cuisine, you'll extend the taste of your journey to Morocco. | ||
Sea bream with capersA delicious recipe for fish with saffron: sea bream with capers, a Mediterranean classic. |  |  |
Tuna and cabbage tagineAn original Moroccan recipe: tuna tagine with saffron-flavoured cabbage, an easy and delicious recipe. | | |
Fresh broad bean saladA little salad for summer, with fresh beans seasoned with coriander. |  | |
Harira with chickpeasHarira is a Moroccan soup. Made with chickpeas, it is light and tasty. | | |
Coffee with pepper and cinnamonMoroccans prepare coffee with a pinch of pepper and cinnamon, a surprising, refined and invigorating recipe. |  | |
Mint TeaSeemingly simple to make, but full of refinement, mint tea is a constant in Morocco. | | |
Green tea with saffronA very refined saffron recipe: green tea with saffron, a subtle blend of flavours. |  | |
Preserved lemonsLemon confit is a great accompaniment to many tagines |  | |
Classical recipes | ||
BouillabaisseA great Marseilles classic: the recipe for bouillabaisse | |  |
RouilleHow to prepare rouille, an accompaniment to bouillabaisse and fish soups | | |
AioliAll it takes is a little elbow grease, some simple ingredients and a few simple tricks. | | |
RisottoA great classic of Mediterranean cuisine: the recipe for risotto, with saffron of course | | |
PaellaOne of the great classics of Spanish cuisine: paella, with a touch of saffron | | |
Rabbit with rice and saffronA great classic, rice with rabbit and saffron | | |
Recipes from the whole worldIndia, Turkey, but also Louisiana, Réunion, South Africa... All over the world, saffron is used to make warm dishes. We take you on a journey with the flavours of Crocus L. Sativus, the red spice. | ||
Mussels with saffron and pumpkin creamA recipe from Guy Savoy, combining two flavours to flatter the taste of mussels | | |
Spaghetti with saffron and basilAn easy and tasty recipe: spaghetti with saffron and basil | | |
Apple cake with saffron syrupTraditional apple cake magnified by saffron syrup | | |
Modern recipesChefs are exploring new flavours and new combinations with original recipes. Some of them are gradually becoming classics, and are being adapted, like the combinations of pasta and saffron. Here are a few ideas to add variety to your table. | ||
Saffron Ice CreamA traditional dessert from India: saffron ice cream | | |
Feasting in pictures
Moroccan cuisine and cooking in Morocco
After many years in Morocco, I’ve become increasingly interested in other cuisines. After all, the French do eat Moroccan food!
Asian, European, Levantine… this section has been split in two, with another site, “Cook on the ways“, for everything to do with non-Moroccan cuisine, including the recipes for saffron of the world found in this article.
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