Friday, June 5, 2020

Food

Harcha Bread Brings Moroccan Streets Into the Home

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By Georgia Knoles

RABAT, Morocco — On any given day, filling homes and wafting through the streets of Rabat is the scent of harcha. The pan-fried, semolina flatbread is enjoyed daily by Moroccans with breakfast or afternoon tea. Its availability throughout the day makes it an overseen, undervalued part of local culture.

Its appearance and style of cooking resemble variations of pancakes everywhere. Yet, this crumbly, golden treat is unique to Morocco.

The making of harcha is an artform. The ingredients are few and simple, so the final product is determined by the skill of the maker.

Three Cities, One Dish

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By N’Kaela Webster

RABAT, Morocco — One-on-one sessions with restaurant owners or in the kitchen with your host family are the best ways to explore the hidden secrets of Moroccan food. Since the moment I knew that I would be coming to Morocco, I have been on a quest to learn more about Moroccan food. After gathering evidence from three authentic Moroccan restaurants, I learned that the simplicity of a Moroccan meal is enhanced by the use of the tagine.

My first taste of Moroccan culture and food was back home at Marakesh Restaurant.

A Medina Patisserie Tells a Story of Generations

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by ELLLIE ZIMMERMAN

RABAT, Morocco  — On a typically sunny Friday in September, Rabat’s Mohammed V Avenue performs an ancient ritual. The street is slowly coming to life after the quiet of the lunch and prayer hours, in anticipation of the busy workday. Shopkeepers sweep their doorsteps and open their stalls. Couscous-filled shoppers begin to populate the street. Mohammed Ben Kasem participates in the ceremony as he arrives to oversee the scene at his French-style cake shop Patisserie Saïd, exactly as his father and grandfather did every day for decades before him. 

Unemployed Moroccans Look to Healthy Juice Fad to Get By

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By Maria Luisa Frasson-Nori

RABAT, Morocco — A cluster of bamboo-like stalks sticks out above the crowd on Avenue Mohammed V in Rabat, attracting those seeking refreshment from a hot summer afternoon. Hamid Rhandour watches passersby until a customer stops by his stand to buy a cup of freshly pressed sugarcane juice.  

“In Arab countries, there are a lot of people unemployed and this is a self-driven alternative, in order to put money in my pocket,” Rhandour, 35, says as he leans against the clunky green juicer machine, wrapped in eye-catching advertising banners that promote the health benefits of sugarcane.

From a national delicacy to common street food, the transformation of Pastillas

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by Jennifer Kwon

RABAT, Morocco — Pastilla is one of the most beloved dishes in Morocco’s already renowned cuisine, but many Moroccans cannot afford to regularly eat the 16 inch diameter layered phyllo dough stuffed with meat, which can cost 450 dirhams (about 45 US dollars) in a country where minimum wage is $250 dollars a month..  That’s where Imane Allawi, 20, comes in — offering 3 inch diameter mini pastillas that she sells for just 8 dirhams each, less than one US dollar.

“Pastillas are very expensive because there is meat and so many spices.

Age-old traditional Moroccan pastry meets new health concern

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By Kayla Dwyer

For more than 65 years, the Ougaamou family has kept tradition alive in the 17th century walled medina, in Rabat, Morocco’s capital — but they are one of very few to do so. From a hole-in-the-wall stand they sell sfenj, traditional Moroccan donuts whose tough and greasy exterior conceals a steaming, flaky inside.

“Sfenj? Yes, good, very good — especially with tea, it’s wonderful,” said Youness Elfaleh, 22, whose eyes widen at the thought of the Moroccan oil-fried doughnut. “But I can only eat it one or two times a month.”

This traditional treat may be on its way out of favor even in sweet-loving Morocco.

Moroccan butcher sees sales spike for sacred Muslim holiday

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By Rob Dozier

RABAT, Morocco — For more than 30 years, Abdeni Mdegdeg has sold meat year-round near the old walled medina of Morocco’s capital city. Now comes the time of year when his services are in the highest demand: the important Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha, or the “Feast of the Sacrifice.”

“Working as a butcher is a popular profession in Morocco,” Mdegdeg said. “And, it’s a sacred one.”

Especially on Thursday, the day of Eid throughout the Muslim world, when people will partake in tradition of sacrificing sheep or other livestock.

Rabat resident makes room for felines

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By Kiannah Sepeda-Miller

RABAT, Morocco — Several times each day, Mohammed Amine Hennaoui, 19, feeds a nameless cat and her three kittens by hand amid the hustle-bustle of his father’s construction supply store.

“The Prophet Mohammed tells us to care for cats,” Hennaoui said. “If you feed them, God will bless you.”

Cats abound in Rabat. Many do not have homes and some bear battle scars on their scrawny bodies. In the medina, Rabat’s ancient inner city where Hennaoui lives and works, there are cats on every street. They loiter outside stores, nap on car roofs and nibble on tossed fish, but the most fortunate are cared for by devoted cat lovers like Hennaoui.

The Secret to Moroccan Cooking? It’s in the Pot

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By FRANKIE STILES

RABAT, Morocco – Authentic Moroccan cuisine begins and ends with one item: the tajine – a dish in which Moroccan meals are prepared, cooked and served.

“Any food you fancy, you [can] put it in [the] tajine,” said Chakib Benkhraba, 53, a Moroccan who now resides in London and has worked for several restaurants that cook with tajines.

Maybe more essential to a Moroccan home than the crockpot is to an American home, the tajine is also often found in Moroccan households, surrounded by a lively family like Benkhraba’s.

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