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Greek vs Moroccan food & cuisine

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Greece

VS

Morocco

Greece

Morocco

The average Greek daily plate size is

The average Moroccan daily plate size is

2503 g.
1804 g.
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Grains

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Fish and seafood

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Produce

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Eggs and dairy

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meats

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Sugar, fats and nuts

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Grains 313 G

WHEAT

277 G

RICE

21 G

CORN

4 G

BARLEY

4 G

RYE

1 G

OATS

3 G

MILLET

0 G

SORGHUM

0 G

OTHER CEREALS

3 G

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Grains 698 G

WHEAT

488 G

RICE

8 G

CORN

122 G

BARLEY

78 G

RYE

0 G

OATS

1 G

MILLET

1 G

SORGHUM

0 G

OTHER CEREALS

0 G

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Produce 953 G

PULSES

9 G

VEGETABLES

423 G

STARCHY ROOTS

142 G

FRUITS

379 G

SEA PLANTS

0 G

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Produce 686 G

PULSES

20 G

VEGETABLES

267 G

STARCHY ROOTS

107 G

FRUITS

241 G

SEA PLANTS

0 G

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Meats 219 G

POULTRY

71 G

PORK

73 G

BEEF

40 G

MUTTON AND GOAT

21 G

OTHER MEAT

5 G

OFFALS

9 G

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Meats 108 G

POULTRY

59 G

PORK

0 G

BEEF

22 G

MUTTON AND GOAT

14 G

OTHER MEAT

5 G

OFFALS

8 G

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Fish and seafood 60 G

FISH

43 G

SEAFOOD

17 G

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Fish and seafood 50 G

FISH

49 G

SEAFOOD

1 G

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Eggs and dairy 648 G

EGGS

24 G

MILK AND DAIRY

614 G

ANIMAL FATS

10 G

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Eggs and dairy 114 G

EGGS

24 G

MILK AND DAIRY

84 G

ANIMAL FATS

6 G

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SUGARS, FATS AND NUTS 310 G

NUTS

38 G

SWEETENERS

103 G

SUGAR CROPS

0 G

VEG OILS

77 G

OILCROPS

92 G

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SUGARS, FATS AND NUTS 148 G

NUTS

15 G

SWEETENERS

94 G

SUGAR CROPS

0 G

VEG OILS

36 G

OILCROPS

3 G

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Herbs

BASIL

DILL

OREGANO

ROSEMARY

SAGE

BAY LEAVES

MINT

PARSLEY

THYME

CILANTRO

Greece
Common
Morocco

BASIL

DILL

OREGANO

ROSEMARY

SAGE

BAY LEAVES

MINT

PARSLEY

THYME

CILANTRO

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Spices

BLACK PEPPER

CINNAMON

CLOVES

CUMIN

DRY CHILI

FENNEL SEED

ALLSPICE

ANISEED

CORIANDER

GINGER

GREEN CARDAMOM

MACE

NIGELA SEED

PAPRIKA

SAFFRON

TURMERIC DRY

Greece
Common
Morocco

BLACK PEPPER

CINNAMON

CLOVES

CUMIN

DRY CHILI

FENNEL SEED

ALLSPICE

ANISEED

CORIANDER

GINGER

GREEN CARDAMOM

MACE

NIGELA SEED

PAPRIKA

SAFFRON

TURMERIC DRY

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Aromatics

CARROT

CELERY STALKS

FENNEL

ORANGE

GARLIC

LEMON

ONION

TOMATO

CHILI PEPPERS

GINGER

ORANGE WATER

Greece
Common
Morocco

CARROT

CELERY STALKS

FENNEL

ORANGE

GARLIC

LEMON

ONION

TOMATO

CHILI PEPPERS

GINGER

ORANGE WATER

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Condiments

CAPERS

HONEY

WINE

WINE VINEGAR

YOGURT

OLIVE OIL

OLIVES

TOMATO PASTE

ARGAN OIL

CLARIFIED BUTTER

DATES

FERMENTED BUTTER

PEPPER PASTE

PRESERVED LEMONS

TAMARIND

Greece
Common
Morocco

CAPERS

HONEY

WINE

WINE VINEGAR

YOGURT

OLIVE OIL

OLIVES

TOMATO PASTE

ARGAN OIL

CLARIFIED BUTTER

DATES

FERMENTED BUTTER

PEPPER PASTE

PRESERVED LEMONS

TAMARIND

Greece

SEASONINGS

For Greece, it’s quite tempting to list lemon, olive oil, garlic, and oregano and stop there – this fresh combination is so iconic and Greek. Herbs are the soul of Greek cooking, used generously to elevate the dishes. Greeks often use minimal seasoning even for grilled meats. Yet if we talk stews, soups and hearty dishes, then cinnamon, allspice, cloves, cumin, and nutmeg add warmth, depth, and sweetness but don’t overpower – the purity of ingredient remains.

It’s fascinating how Greek cuisine shows the meeting of Western and Eastern cultures through its two most important condiments – olive oil and yogurt. Olive oil comes from the Mediterranean tradition that Greece shares with Italy, Spain and southern France. Meanwhile, yogurt connects Greece to the east – to Turkey, the Levant, and other Middle Eastern food cultures. The same pattern appears in Greek architecture, music, and other cultural expressions as well.

Though not exclusive to Greek cuisine, mahlab, and mastic contribute to distinctive flavors: mahlab, a spice made from the ground seeds of the St. Lucie cherry or black cherry tree, has a unique and slightly sweet taste with hints of almond and cherry. It is used in desserts, such as tsoureki (a sweet bread), and in some savory dishes. Mastic, a resin obtained from the mastic tree, is used as a flavoring and thickening agent in desserts. Mastic has a piney, slightly resinous flavor and a unique chewy texture when ground into a powder.

SAUCES

TZADZIKI – a rich, creamy, bright, and fresh, indeed the most famous sauce, made from strained yogurt, cucumber, dill, mint, lemon, garlic, and olive oil, eaten with bread, grilled meats, as a part of a meze platter, as a salad dressing,

AVGOLEMONO is another Greek signature. It is used as both a sauce and a soup, made from egg yolks and lemon juice whisked together until they develop a thick consistency.

LADOLEMONO is a classic lemon and olive oil dressing whisked together to perfection, used as a marinade, or drizzled over grilled fish, seafood, and vegetables.

SKORDALIA – a pungent garlic sauce paired with fried cod (bakaliaros), boiled beets, or vegetables. Made of garlic, potatoes or bread, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, almonds/walnuts.

 

Morocco

SEASONINGS

Moroccan cuisine combines sweetness with savor and adds spiciness without overwhelming heat. Cumin, coriander, saffron, ginger, and cinnamon are the main spices that give a distinctive profile compared to more subtle Mediterranean cuisines. Dried and fresh chili peppers are used lavishly; mint, fresh cilantro, and parsley freshen up dishes; bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic prevail in aromatics; olives and preserved lemons bring a tangy kick. Orange flower, jasmine, and rose petals water infuses exotic aromas into desserts.

RAS EL HANOUT – a dried spice mix popular in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, blends from a dozen to 80 spices. The name means “head of the shop” – the best spices the seller has to offer. Each shop, company, or family may have their own blend. Common ingredients, though, include cardamom, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, dry ginger, chili peppers, coriander, black pepper, sweet paprika, fenugreek, and turmeric.

LA KAMA – a lesser-known but traditional Moroccan spice blend that includes black pepper, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Also popular in Moroccan cooking are:

Levantine ZA’ATAR – dried oregano, thyme or marjoram, sumac, sesame seeds, salt.

Arabic BAHARAT – black pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, paprika.

SAUCES

HARRISA, a hot chili pepper paste made from a variety of chiles, could be the baklouti, guajillo, anaheim, chiles de arbol peppers, along with garlic, coriander, caraway, cumin, and lemon juice (or preserved lemon) and olive oil and is widely used as a marinade, dip or sauce.

CHERMOULA is a marinade and relish used in Moroccan, Algerian, Libyan, and Tunisian cooking, it slightly reassembles the Latin American chimichurri. In Morocco its often used for fish. Frequent ingredients include fresh cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice or preserved lemon, cumin, paprika, chili peppers, salt. It can come in different hues and tones: green (without paprika and red elements, with red tone due to sweet paprika or harrisa and yellow tone due to turmeric (source).

Moroccan cuisine is exclusive with four distinct cooking styles that are both cooking techniques and flavor combinations on the same time: m’hammer (red), m’chermel (marinated), m’qali (fried) and q’dra (skills).

M’HAMMER is a classic way of preparing tagine in which roasted meat is doused in a sauce made of onions, paprika, and cumin. A generous amount of paprika is used, giving sauce a brownish red color, and the meat is cooked in the sauce, its later taken out, charred under the broiler (source) and put back.

M’CHERMEL is a cooking style that is characterized by marinating food in chermoula sauce.

After marinating, food can be cooked in any other style, but the term m’chermel describes the process and style of cooking with this particular marinade.

European tradition cooks usually pan-brown the meat in the beginning before stewing. M’QALLI method is vice versa – first, the meat is stewed, and when it absorbs the broth and becomes tender, is fried. Compulsory spices are ginger, saffron, and turmeric.

Q’DRA is also the name of deep cookware unique for this type of cooking. It involves cooking meat very slowly, until it becomes exceptionally tender. This will be considered the most casual cooking technique; literally what Moroccans will prepare almost every day. (source) A liquid yellow broth is made with saffron and turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, parsley, and smen, while paprika and ginger are never used for this style.

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