Morocco produces a large range of Mediterranean fruits and vegetables and even some tropical countries. Common meats are beef, mutton and lamb, chicken, camel, rabbit and seafood, which are the basis for the kitchen. Characteristic flavors include lemon pickle, cold-pressed, unrefined olive oil and dried fruits. It is also known to be much stronger than the spicy cuisine of the Middle East.
Spices are used extensively in Moroccan cuisine. While spices have been imported to Morocco for thousands of years, many ingredients - like Tiliouine saffron, mint and olives from Meknes, and oranges and lemons from Fez - are locally sourced. Common spices include karfa (cinnamon), Kamoun (cumin), kharkoum (turmeric), skinjbir (ginger), Libzar (pepper), tahmira (paprika), anise seeds, sesame seeds, qesbour (cilantro) and Zaafran beldi (saffron). Common herbs include mint and maadnous (parsley).
Lunch is the main meal, except during the holy month of Ramadan. A typical meal begins with a series of hot and cold salads, followed by a tagine. The bread is eaten at every meal. Often, for a formal meal, a lamb or chicken dish, followed by couscous topped with meat and vegetables. A cup of mint tea usually ends the meal. Moroccans often eat with their hands and use bread as a utensil. The consumption of pork and alcohol are considered haram, and are forbidden by Muslim dietary restrictions.
The main Berber Moroccan dish most people are familiar with couscous, old national delicacy. Beef is the meat most commonly eaten red Morocco. Lamb is also consumed, but as store Northern sheep breeds most of their fat in their tails, Moroccan lamb Africa does not have the pungent flavor than lamb and mutton in the West. Poultry is also very common, and use of seafood is increasing in Moroccan cuisine. Among the most famous Moroccan Berber dishes are Couscous, Pastilla (also spelled Bsteeya or Bestilla), Tajine, tanjia and harira. Although the latter is a soup, it is considered as a dish itself and is served as such or with dates especially during the month of Ramadan. The consumption of pork is prohibited under Sharia, the religious law of Islam.
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