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In Zimbabwe, people consume about 806 g of food per day, with grains taking the biggest share at 40%, and fish and seafood coming in last at 1%. In Morocco, the daily total is around 1804 g, with grains leading at 39% and fish and seafood at the bottom with 3%.
Grains
Fish and seafood
Produce
Eggs and dairy
Meats
Sugar, fats and nuts
Moroccan diet is mostly grain-oriented compared to its Mediterranean neighbors, with high wheat, barley, and maize consumption. Primary plant proteins are fava beans, lentils, and chickpeas; animal proteins are goat, mutton, lamb, chicken, pigeon, beef, and fish on the coast. Milk is found in custards and cheeses, yet it is rarely consumed fresh or as yogurt. Characteristic are lemon pickles, argan oil, cold-pressed, unrefined olive oil, and dried fruits. The use of spice is absolutely crucial.
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Grains 324 G
60 G
26 G
219 G
0 G
0 G
0 G
5 G
13 G
1 G
Grains 698 G
488 G
8 G
122 G
78 G
0 G
1 G
1 G
0 G
0 G
Cereals are an inexpensive, security-providing base for all income levels. Wheat is the most crucial – the average per capita consumption is almost 500 grams daily, three times the global average (156 grams). Wheat is used for breads: classic khobz, yeasted oven-baked rounds, rghifa or mssemen, a griddle-cooked flatbread, and harcha, a small, circular semolina bread. Wheat also features baghrir pancakes, very popular in North Africa’s streets.
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Produce 138 G
9 G
37 G
54 G
38 G
0 G
Produce 686 G
20 G
267 G
107 G
241 G
0 G
Vegetables are essential, though quantities consumed are comparatively low. Due to economic disparities, some struggle with the affordability of fresh vegetables.
Cooked salads are popular in Morocco. They feature eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, and carrots, often roasted or stewed and then served at room temperature or chilled. Vegetable pickles from carrots, cucumbers, turnips, cauliflower, and green beans are common.
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Meats 152 G
15 G
2 G
116 G
5 G
6 G
8 G
Meats 108 G
59 G
0 G
22 G
14 G
5 G
8 G
Lamb is a type of meat that is especially loved. The liver is eaten first, as it is more perishable than other parts. The intestines and other small bits are hung outside to dry for days in the sun and are used later for flavoring.
Other than the usual meats, game, snails, pigeons, and camels are quite popular.
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Fish and seafood 6 G
6 G
0 G
Fish and seafood 50 G
49 G
1 G
Fish and seafood are hugely popular along the coast but way less inland. Fish come in tagines, pastillas, and are grilled whole, baked, or poached, in combination with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, dried fruits, nuts, and chermoula sauce – all a distinctive North African footprint.
Eggs and dairy 77 G
3 G
72 G
2 G
Eggs and dairy 114 G
24 G
84 G
6 G
Egg dishes are pretty frequent, from tomato shakshuka to hard-boiled eggs flavored with cumin as a street snack or saffron-tinted eggs for tagine garnishing. Moroccan shakshouka is spiced with cumin, paprika, harissa, preserved lemon, and olives, and sometimes includes lamb or merguez sausage.
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SUGARS, FATS AND NUTS 109 G
0 G
72 G
0 G
33 G
4 G
SUGARS, FATS AND NUTS 148 G
15 G
94 G
0 G
36 G
3 G
Moroccan desserts stand out for richness and sweetness, which can be considerably more intense than the typical Western understanding of “sweet”.
This heightened level of sweetness comes from the generous use of honey, sugar, and sweet fruits. It is balanced by nuts, floral waters (orange blossom, rose petals water), cinnamon and saffron.
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AFRICAN BASIL
BAOBAB LEAVES
BITTER LEAVES
BAY LEAVES
CILANTRO
PARSLEY
THYME
MINT
AFRICAN BASIL
BAOBAB LEAVES
BITTER LEAVES
BAY LEAVES
CILANTRO
PARSLEY
THYME
MINT
BLACK PEPPER
CLOVES
DRY CHILI
GINGER
PAPRIKA
ALLSPICE
ANISEED
CINNAMON
CORIANDER
CUMIN
FENNEL SEED
GREEN CARDAMOM
MACE
NIGELA SEED
SAFFRON
TURMERIC DRY
BLACK PEPPER
CLOVES
DRY CHILI
GINGER
PAPRIKA
ALLSPICE
ANISEED
CINNAMON
CORIANDER
CUMIN
FENNEL SEED
GREEN CARDAMOM
MACE
NIGELA SEED
SAFFRON
TURMERIC DRY
CHILI PEPPERS
GARLIC
GINGER
LEMON
ONION
TOMATO
ORANGE WATER
CHILI PEPPERS
GARLIC
GINGER
LEMON
ONION
TOMATO
ORANGE WATER
DRIED FISH/SEAFOOD
HONEY
TAMARIND
ARGAN OIL
CLARIFIED BUTTER
DATES
FERMENTED BUTTER
OLIVE OIL
OLIVES
PEPPER PASTE
PRESERVED LEMONS
TOMATO PASTE
DRIED FISH/SEAFOOD
HONEY
TAMARIND
ARGAN OIL
CLARIFIED BUTTER
DATES
FERMENTED BUTTER
OLIVE OIL
OLIVES
PEPPER PASTE
PRESERVED LEMONS
TOMATO PASTE
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.
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.
