Moroccan Spices

Travel To Morocco, The Land of Spices :

Moroccan Spices Any souk you visit will have stall after stall with the most brightly colored spice containers. Any true Moroccan cuisine must have spices, which are also employed for their renowned therapeutic properties. If you’ve ever wondered what gives Moroccan food its unique flavor, be assured that it’s a particular combination of spices. While some Moroccan spices are imported from the East, the majority are domestically produced.

The primary spices used in Moroccan cooking are:

Cayenne: (felfla) Cayenne is a red, fiery chili pepper that is used as a spice and as medicine. It is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum related to bell peppers, jalapenos, and other plants, and it bears the name of the French Guianan city of Cayenne. In order to create the powdered spice known as cayenne pepper, the fruits are often dried, pounded, or pulped and baked into cakes. Cayenne, whether in powder, whole, or thin, vinegar-based sauces, is used to make spicy, hot foods.

Cinnamon (karfa) (karfa) Morocco is the origin of cinnamon. The flowers, which grow in panicles and are greenish in color, have a strong odor. The fruit is a purple, 1-centimeter-long berry with a solitary seed. An aromatic essential oil that is a component of its composition gives it its flavor. The bark is roughly pounded, then macerated in seawater before being swiftly distillated to produce this oil. Since cinnamon has been around since ancient times, it was viewed as a gift suited for kings and other powerful individuals in those times. Cinnamon is a common flavoring for meat dishes in Morocco, including lamb leg. You can rely on this spice to give grains like couscous a new dimension.

The herb coriander, or Coriandrum sativum, is an annual member of the Apiaceae family. The dried, ripe fruit of the herb coriander has its origins in south-western Asia and can be found from there west to North Africa. The tan-colored, brown seeds have a mildly lemony, sweet aroma. Coriander, a tangy blend of citrus and sage, is actually supposed to stimulate hunger. Moroccan cuisine frequently incorporates coriander when preparing lentils, beans, onions, potatoes, and pastries.

Tumeric (quekoum) (quekoum) The dried root of the Curcuma longa plant is what we call turmeric. It is related to ginger and comparable in size, it is distinguished by its vivid yellow color. The flavor of turmeric is similar to a mingling of ginger and pepper. The potent coloring agent turmeric is. Tajines and rice dishes are colored in Morocco using turmeric.

Iris family member Crocus sativus, saffron (zafrane). In order to produce one pound of saffron, 225,000 stigmas must be manually plucked. Saffron is mostly used as a food coloring and flavoring for seafood, rice, cheese, and pastries. The spice mixtures for paella, curry, kheer, and bouillabaisse all contain saffron. Saffron is grown in Spain, France, Portugal, India, and Italy and is a native of the Mediterranean region. The best place to buy saffron in Africa is in the Moroccan city of Tailouine. It has a distinctive flavor with a pleasant personality. The most costly spice in the world is saffron. Saffron was utilized medicinally by the Assyrians in antiquity. It was used by the Greeks and Romans to scent their lavish baths.

Ginger (Skinjbir) (Skinjbir) Around the world, ginger is frequently used as a seasoning in food. It is an essential component of Ras El Hanout, a Moroccan dish that transforms chicken and vegetables from ordinary to sublime. Ras El Hanout, which means “top” or “head of the shop” in Arabic, is a concoction of up to 100 exotic spices, according to the legend. Its name derives from the fact that the mixture is the pinnacle of the spice blender’s craft. (In Ethiopia, the word “ras” means “king.”) Typically, it contains fewer than 100 or even 40 spices, which are well blended to create a complex mixture in which no one spice dominates.

Paprika ( Felfa hlouwa) ( Felfa hlouwa) A spice known as paprika is created by grinding sweet red or green bell peppers that have been dried (Capsicum annuum). The term “paprika” also refers to bell peppers itself in various European nations. The condiment is used in many different cuisines to give food color and flavor. Paprika is used in Moroccan salads and tomato-based recipes. Paprika has a variety of flavors and aromas, from sweet and mild to fiery. Native Americans utilized red paprika as a spice and a remedy in Southern Mexico, Central America, and the Antilles Islands. Christopher Columbus brought back from the New World unidentified spices and a hitherto unseen gift: a paprika plant. The plants were initially utilized to adorn European nobility’s baroque gardens.

roasted pepper (elbezar) A flowering vine in the Piperaceae family called black pepper (Piper nigrum) is grown for its fruit, which is often dried and consumed as a spice and condiment. The fruit is frequently referred to as peppercorns when it is dried. Black pepper, white pepper, red/pink pepper, and green pepper are some names for peppercorns and the powdered pepper that results from grinding them. Pink peppercorns, red pepper, and green pepper are also names for the fruits of different plants. Salads and lamb tajines in Morocco frequently contain black pepper. Since antiquity, dried ground pepper has been treasured for both its flavor and its medicinal properties, making it one of the most popular spices in European cuisine and its descendants.

Aniseed (naffa) (naffa) Aniseed, often known as anis, is a flowering plant in the Apiaceae family that is indigenous to southwest Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. Its scientific name is Pimpinella anisum. Fennel, commonly known as aniseed, is used in Moroccan stewed fennel and courgettes and in bread baking. Aniseed is sweet and has a strong flavor that is reminiscent of liquorice. The following confections are made with it: knots, pizzelles, pfeffernusse, humbugs, and aniseed balls in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, respectively (Norway). The Mexican beverage “atole de ans” or champurrado, which is akin to hot chocolate, the Turkish beverage Raki, the Greek Ouzo, the Italian Sambuca, the spirit absinthe, the preferred Arabic Arak, and some root beers like Virgil’s also contain aniseed.