The basics

Moroccan cuisine hasn't changed much since the middle ages when the Arabs invaded the country in the 7th century. Arab soldiers brought eastern spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cumin, saffron and caraway, as well as the principle of combining sweet and savoury flavours to produce extremely subtle and refined dishes.

However, neither the refinement, nor the complexity of spicing that distinguishes Moroccan cuisine means long hours toiling in the kitchen. In fact, Moroccan cooking is fairly simple. The preparation is almost always fairly quick, although the cooking time is on the whole long and slow.

Banqueting

One of the best ways to taste Moroccan cooking is to go to a diffa (meaning invitation in Arabic and describing a Moroccan banquet). A succession of the best-known national dishes is served, one after the other, with a selection of salads remaining on the table throughout the meal.

The guests are seated on cushions around low round tables and each dish is served on a large round platter which is placed in the centre of the table. Everyone eats straight from the dish using their right thumb, index and middle finger to scoop up the food. The bread, a rather flat white loaf, is used to soak up the sauces.

Fresh fruit and mint tea are brought in as a refreshing end to the meal. Sweets and pastries are usually reserved to serve in between meals, for when guests arrive or for when the family gathers to talk or watch television.

Moroccan salads

The concept of salad in Morocco is quite different to the west, both in its preparation and presentation. For one thing, salads are only occasionally dressed in oil. Instead, many dressings are subtle mixtures of lemon juice or vinegar, sugar, fragrant waters and spices, or fresh fruit juices and herbs.

When a Moroccan cook wants to use oil in a dressing, she (it is almost always women who cook in Moroccan homes) will use olive oil or sometimes argan oil. The later is made with stones from the fruit of argan trees, which grow in the Souss valley, south Morocco.

Unusual dressings are not the only thing that set Moroccan salads apart. There is a whole group of cooked salads that really have nothing to do with salads, as we understand them, though they are universally described as 'salads' both in restaurants and homes.

Moroccan salads are served on small plates and arranged in pairs or threes, to make sure that all can reach them. The choice might include grated radish, mixed with tiny cubes of peeled orange and dressed with sugar and lemon juice; grated cucumbers dressed with sugar, vinegar, caraway seeds and fresh thyme; grated or diced cooked beetroot dressed with sugar, orange blossom water, lemon juice and spices; or very finely shredded lettuce tossed with orange juice, a little salt and a healthy amount of pepper to produce a fiery yet fresh taste.

There are also astonishing concoctions such as tomatoes or onions stewed with honey and spices; grilled peppers and apples cooked in tomato sauce; steamed aubergines cooked with fresh tomato and coriander; or grilled peppers mixed with a mash of roasted garlic and spices.