All righty now…I’m sure lamb’s head, eyeballs and other esoteric foods are delicious, but I just can’t “stomach” the thought of eating them. There is an abundance of Moroccan food, however, that is to my taste beginning with Tajines.

A Moroccan Tajine is basically a slow-cooked stew traditionally cooked in a tajine pot see photograph below), whose cover has a knob-like formation (or handle) at its top for easy removal. Tanjines are usually made with less expensive cuts of meat and simmered until it falls off the bone. Combine your lamb or chicken with different ingredients or seasonings. Olives, apples, pears, apricots, raisins, prunes, dates, nuts, are commonly used along with ground cinnamon, saffron, ginger, turmeric, cumin, paprika, and pepper.

Tanjine pots for sale in Tafraoute market, Morocco 

delicious Moroccan oranges
A big favorite turned out to be Harissa, a paste of garlic, chiles, olive oil, and salt, that is right up there in the heat range. Some versions are so hot they bring tears to your eyes, noses run copiously and taste buds are paralyzed. Harissa is a staple in all restaurants and little food stands in Tunisia and there, we knew what to expect. Love Harissa… By the way, Tunisia is another perfectly wonderful destination and also extremely cheap. Surf through past articles on Tunisia…

Couscous, a granular semolina, is another staple of Moroccan cuisine and is often cooked with spices, vegetables, nuts, and raisins. It can be a meal in itself or is topped with stews and roasted meats. I can never hear the word “Couscous” without remembering a Richard Scarry book my children had with “Couscous, The Algerian Detective” in it.

You will always find nuts in dishes or alone. Pine nuts, almonds, and pistachios are the most commonly used and ex-Marine and I would buy heaps of Pistachios in the markets to munch on.

The big sweets are baklava-type pastries of filo dough soaked in honey, a croissant-like pastry called “gazelle’s horns” stuffed with almond paste and pretzel-shaped pieces of dough called honey cakes. Honey cakes are deep-fried, dipped into honey and then sprinkled with sesame seeds. I, personally, have never met a dessert I didn’t like…do love sweets…

And last but not least, mint tea without spoonfuls of sugar.

Stick to these foods and you’ll be a happy camper in Morocco but if “adventure” is your middle name, I say go for the sheep’s head…