Moroccan food has long been influenced by the continual waves of conquerors, settlers and travelers who have visited it over the centuries. Because of this, the food has taken on a truly unique multicultural flavor. Adapting recipes from all over Africa, Europe and the Middle East to local ingredients, Moroccans have developed a level of cooking mastery found few places in the world. The mixture of sweet and savory flavors in Moroccan cooking is part of its unique and powerful appeal.
Of all the condiments, spices and seasonings used in Moroccan cooking the most important would be preserved lemons. This technique for salting and storing lemons give Moroccan food access to lemons year round and adds a level of flavor you just can't get from a normal lemon. The basic method for preserving lemons is to take fresh lemons, cut nearly into quarters by making two cuts down from the top to nearly the bottom. Next pour kosher or rock salt into the lemon and place it in a large jar. Continue until the jar is stuffed full. Add a little water to start the process, cover and place in a dark, cool place for several weeks. When done, the peel tender enough to eat and the pulp has literally turned to jelly. But most importantly the lemon flavor has been intensified as the water has been drawn from the lemon.
These lemons form the basis for many Moroccan recipes but are difficult to find outside of Morocco. Instead, many Moroccan recipes increase the amounts of lemon juice to make up for the flavor. In addition to preserved lemons, Moroccan food goes heavy on spices like cumin, paprika (the sweet kind), cinnamon, ground ginger (not fresh), black pepper and saffron. In most any Moroccan recipe you will find most if not all these ingredients.
Anyway you want to look at it Moroccan cooking is fantastic. If you want to learn more I suggest you visit my friend Saad Fayed's Middle Eastern Cooking site.
