An introduction to Moroccan Cooking

If Moroccan cuisine is an art, the colours on the palette are the spices: cumin, turmeric, paprika, black pepper, ginger and cinnamon – all freshly ground - and lots of fresh coriander. If you are going to attempt to cook Moroccan food you will also need to keep a good stock of fresh tomatoes, onions, green and black olives, lemons and olive oil.

Moroccans use fresh lemons when they are available and preserved in salt or oil when they are not. In the countryside all Moroccan housewives preserve their own lemons and olives but they are also available in the souks all year round. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also plentiful in the souks, but are very seasonal, one month you will find mountains of fresh peas, the next it will be cabbage and so the simple tajine comes in an almost infinite variety of combinations of meat, veg and spice.

The traditional Moroccan kitchen is fairly basic – you will not find acres of clear worktop with drawers and cupboards full of equipment and tools. Moroccan cooking has, I suppose, evolved from a nomadic lifestyle – mostly prepared by hand with one knife, cooked in one pot and then, if possible, eaten from the same pot.

Because Moroccan is not a written language, the typical Moroccan housewife does not follow recipe books, but cooks from memory what she has learnt from her mother and aunts ... and mother-in-law. She adds a handful of this, a drop of that – nothing carefully measured. Everyone has their own variation on the classic dishes and makes the best of whatever is in season.

So here is a quick recipe that combines the flavours and colours of Morocco quite beautifully and simply.

Moroccan Salad

3 firm ripe tomatoes – peeled, seeded and chopped into half cm dice (though you can leave the peel on and seeds in if you want)

1 small onion – finely chopped

1 fresh green pepper – seeded and chopped (or you could use cucumber)

A handful of fresh coriander – finely chopped

Good teaspoon of freshly ground cumin

1 tablespoon of cider vinegar or lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients and leave to settle in the fridge.

You can serve as a starter (on some crisp lettuce leaves with a few black olives for garnish) or as a side salad - it goes really nicely with grilled meat and fresh bread.