Mint, fig, cinnamon, preserved lemon, purple olives, toasted almonds – then moist succulent lamb that drops off the bone, slow-cooked to heaven. Each element has a clear, strong voice – and that is so typical of Moroccan cuisine. Morocco’s gastro-offerings are legion, and nearly all mix salty-sour with sweet (sometimes too much so) in a seductive, multi-layered composition. Then there are the pastries, dripping honey or syrup and filled with pistachios or almond paste. Waistlines have a hard time. Luckily there are also little salad appetisers, quite delicious, that multiplied up can make a very respectable (light) supper. Couscous of course can’t be ignored, but the Moroccans themselves generally only eat it once a week on Friday, their sabbath.

It’s been said before and I’ll say it again, the best Moroccan food is rarely in restaurants, as the perfect tagine, couscous aux 7 legumes or bstela (pastilla), demand long hours, expertise and absolute dedication. The basis of traditional Moroccan food is a shared meal, eaten with fingers out of the same central dish, and prepared with great love and respect. So if you’re travelling in Morocco and get invited to a home, accept! Within reason of course. You’re more than likely to feast on a quite divine dish prepared according to one of four reduced sauces, nectar-like amalgams of ginger, saffron, garlic, cumin and paprika. Cinnamon, honey, fruit (dates, apricots, prunes, pears, figs, raisins) or even icing-sugar impart the sweet note, and meat is generally lamb or chicken – occasionally pigeon. Digestion is eventually aided by mint-tea served in a delicate tea-glass – with spoonfuls of sugar unless you shout halas (enough)!

So where to eat well in Morocco? There’s no doubt about it, Fez is number one on the gastro-map. Marrakech may have far more atmospheric designer settings and a much greater buzz, but Fez is the city with long gastronomic traditions which takes its food seriously. Here you’ll taste such delicacies as carrots with cinnamon and orange or carrots with cumin, cabbage with cumin, coriander and preserved lemon or with ginger and raisins, or maybe an ultra-sweet caramelized tomato salad. Or possibly Serrouda, a slow-cooked starter of chickpeas with tomatoes, saffron and onion. This is one of the Fassi recipes that nearly disappeared and was just saved from extinction. You may also indulge in camel-meat, a classic across North Africa, or preferably a naturally organic chicken cooked with preserved lemon and olives and spices, a perennial yet sublime combination.

Chicken mchermel (marinated in spices) serves 4
The following recipe is one of the easiest to make at home. Basically in a large pan, mix 4 tbspns of olive oil with 3 crushed garlic cloves, 4 finely chopped onions, a chopped bunch of coriander, a pinch of salt, a small teaspoon of saffron, the same of ginger, the same of cinnamon, the same of cumin, the same of white pepper, 2 diced preserved lemons and a dash of vinegar.
Stir the ingredients together, then add 4 plump free-range chicken breasts, roughly quartered. Turn them over so they are covered with the spice and onion mixture. Leave to macerate for at least an hour.
Put the pan with ingredients on a high heat, stir well, then lower to simmer for about 40 minutes, mostly covered with lid.
Remove the lid, stir then raise heat to bubble fast and reduce the liquid. Add a handful of purple olives, heat for a minute or two, then serve in a wide shallow dish. Have some warm flatbread (or pita bread) to mop up the fabulous juices. Now if this doesn’t propel you straight back to Morocco, nothing will.

Couscous is not only prepared as a steaming, buttery mountain covered with vegetables and meat, it also finds its way inside chickens as a stuffing mixed with raisins and spices. One method is to sew up the couscous stuffing inside the chicken and steam it, giving it a last blast in the oven to dry out. Couscous medfoun is a rare speciality with pigeon or chicken pieces buried under a mountain of fragrant grain – plus onions, orange-blossom water, cinnamon, ginger, raisins, cloves and coriander. To begin with, nothing is visible except the golden grain. Then there’s sweet couscous or seffa. In the Sahara couscous is eaten with roasted fresh figs – but Northerners turn their noses up at that.

Orange salad with orange-blossom water
Finally, after all that what you need is a refreshing dessert. This one is easy to make too. Use really juicy oranges, peel and slice them, removing pips and as much pith as possible, then arrange them on a wide plate. Sprinkle with icing-sugar and cinnamon (you can play with the designs) then with a few drops of orange-blossom water. Lastly, scatter with fresh mint leaves. It’s perfect.