WHAT IS MODERN MOROCCAN CUISINE?

BY TARA STEVENS, FOUNDER, COURTYARD KITCHEN FEZ

HERITAGE

• Coined ‘cuisine of kings’ by Paul Bocuse
• To understand modern Moroccan cuisine you must first understand it’s past
• Moroccan cuisine is a rich tapestry of flavors influenced by Berber, Arab, Moorish, and Mediterranean cultures.
• It’s characterized by a diverse array of spices, herbs and ingredients, such as ras al hanout, cumin, saffron, cinnamon; preserved lemons, flower waters and resins, creating a unique taste profile.
• Deeply rooted in community and oral traditions of passing down recipes through generations
• Efforts now underway to safeguard Morocco's culinary heritage through UNESCO recognition of intangible cultural heritage elements like couscous making, and the traditional knowledge associated with the production of argan oil.
• But until quite recently, it was fairly stuck in tradition, compared to say the evolutions that France and Spain went through in terms nouvelle and New Spanish cuisine

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HOSPITALITY

• Hospitality, or the act of welcoming someone into your home over food and drink is one of the greatest hallmarks of Moroccan dining experience
• Communal nature of dining – and sharing from one pot – is integral to keeping communities together
• Begins with tea and maybe some dates
• Evolves into kemia – which are mezze style meals, encouraging communal eating and opens the appetite for what is to come.
• A full blown diffa (feast) then could include "tagines" cooked and served in clay pots and eaten with the hands; fine, flaky pastry pies dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar; couscous and then platters of fresh and dried fruits, before Moroccan mint tea, served ceremoniously, reflects the country’s warm hospitality.
• The best of these feasts, came out of the palace kitchens of the imperial cities of Fez, Meknes, Rabat and Marrakech – mainly from the hands of women

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WOMEN AS CULINARY GUARDIANS

• There is an African proverb that says, “if you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.”
• At the helm of these professional kitchens, restaurant institutes, and slow food movements in Morocco are a growing number of trailblazing women who are leading the way in terms of culinary evolution while creating more opportunities and possibilities for others.
• Huge importance and value is placed on the authenticity of dishes in Morocco
• women are the guardians of this heritage in homes, as well as playing a critical role in agriculture
• more recently a noticeable shift towards recognizing and celebrating women's roles in professional kitchens and culinary entrepreneurship
• programs like Meriem Cherkaoui’s Dima Terroir, improves the livelihoods of Moroccan women by sourcing the finest products by working in partnership with local women’s cooperatives.
• Elsewhere, it’s a growing trend with many of the county’s best products coming out of female-led cooperatives, such as the Cooperative Toudarte for argan oil production in Agadir, highlighting the economic empowerment of women in gastronomy.

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WOMEN AND COMMUNITY

• Marrakech has well established restaurants Al Fassia (literally meaning women from Fez, but actually in Marrakech), through social enterprises like Assocition Amal and Um Mami (also both in Marrakech) support women's empowerment through culinary training programs and more recently Sahbi Sahbi
• Sahbi Sahbi is the first iteration of an expression of modern Moroccan cuisine spoken through the hands of the country’s women
• Meaning soulmates, or friendship in Darija, it is a celebration of how people eat – a gathering place run exclusively by women
• Designed by Studio KO to put the countries traditional cuisine into a contemporary context
• While traditionally the Moroccan kitchen was hidden from view, theirs is an open kitchen designed to share knowledge and application
• The food itself is wrapped up in memory and nostalgia, and tastes completely of place

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SAHBI SAHBI – EMPOWERING WOMEN ONE DISH AT A TIME

TOURISM

• Increasing interest in Morocco’s gastronomic heritage by visitors, has ignited a fresh approach at home.
• Culinary tours, cooking classes, and food festivals, like the Marrakech Food Festival, offer immersive experiences into the country’s culinary traditions, attracting food enthusiasts from around the world.
• It’s also caught the attention of the Moroccan diaspora, who are returning home to their roots and looking upon their culinary heritage with fresh eyes

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MODERN MOROCCAN CUISINE – THE STIRRINGS OF A REVOLUTION

• Heritage, hospitality, provenance, seasonality, freshness, spices, aromatics, and traditional recipes underpin the new Moroccan cuisine with a liberal sprinkling of ideas and knowledge from abroad
• Marrakech may be leading the revolution, but Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier and Fez, are hot on its heels
• Legendary chef Fatéma Hal is exec chef at Les Cours de Lions, Es Saadi where she blends traditional and modern by honouring heirloom products and dishes
• Barley couscous from the Atlas mountains and saffron infused corn couscous from Essaouira, lamb shanks braised in ras al hanout
• Meriyem Cherkaoui founded Slow Food Morocco in 2013 together with Zoubida Charrouf, coordinator of the 10,000 Gardens in Africa project
• But she made her name as head chef at Mes Lalla, Mandarin Oriental, and is known for her lightness of touch and inspired flavour combinations before opening her own consultancy business in Casablanca.
• She learnt advanced technique at the Paul Bocuse school, but her focus is very much on heritage products and revising traditional dishes

KEFTA B'MATICHA, CORN ASSIDA WITH ABDI MINT, MANGETOUT, RADISHES AND LOCAL CAPERS. MC

VEGETABLE CHORBA WITH CUCUMBER, ASNI APPLE, CORIANDER AND ORANGE-ARGAN VINAIGRETTE. MC

SHRIMP WITH CHERMOULA AND TOMATO ZAALOUK WITH HERBS ON HARCHA, GLAZED VEGETABLES. MC

ROSE-RASPBERRY, KELAAT M’GOUNA ROSE CREAM, ALMOND SHORTBREAD AND LEMON-GINGER TRANSPARENCY, SOME RASPBERRIES. MC

MODERN MOROCCAN CUISINE – THE DIASPORA

• Myriam Ettahri has a illustrious career working at Heston Blumenthal and Pierre Gagnairie before returning to Morocco in 2012 to become one of the nations best loved chefs, and the star of Masterchef
• Drisse Alaoui returned from Canada and after a stint at the YSL Museum restaurant opened Blue Ribbon with a fresh take on salads, bagels and eggs using locally sourced products from Sanctuary Slimane and other organic markets dotted around town
• Driss Mellall at Nomad Eats Catering has put a bright new spin on the traditional vegetable dishes and grilled meats that Morocco is known for, while reimagining the tradition of fire cooking inspired by pioneer Francis Mallmann and places like Horrell and Horrell in the UK and

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MODERN MOROCCAN CUISINE – OUTSIDE INFLUENCES

• Moroccan chefs, Mourad Lahlou in San Francisco and Hassan M’souli in Sydney have built successful careers abroad
• The Royal Mansour have bought in Yannick Alleno, and more recently, Helen Daroze to revitalise their Moroccan kitchen at their signature restaurant La Grande Table Marocaine,
• Here Helen where she will blend her 6-Michellin star western cooking with Moroccan authenticity.
• Dishes like Dahkla bay blue lobster medfouna (a stuffed flatbread from the desert) with soft onions, raisins and ginger; pigeon tride with pan fried breast and shredded leg; chocolate praline with grilled fava and argan oil, and lemon emulsion

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MEET MOROCCO’S BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS

• The new breed of young Moroccan chefs and restauranteurs are rewriting their narrative in a myriad of ways through fashion, design, and now food
• They are revisiting their heritage and delivering the kind of food they want to eat in dishes that are fresh, flavourful and frequently plant-forward
• Berber gnocci with spiced tomato sauce, confit garlic, a jammy egg and pangratta, L’Mida
• Shaved cauliflower tabbouleh, organic mesclun, Moroccan quinoa, essential of tarragon vinaigrette, Nomad
• Fennel, beetroot, feta, orange, red onion and toasted almond salad, Fondouk Bazaar
• Whole charred aubergine, Labneh, harissa oil, pomegranate, coriander, Alma Café
• Fig leaf wrapped monkfish, barbecued and served with vegetable tagliatelle, Umia

NOMAD EATS - REVISITING THE KEMIA TABLE

THE MODERN MOROCCAN KITCHEN

• Bright and colourful, with a focus on locally grown, increasingly organic ingredients
• Pride in heritage – ranging from couscous made from ancient grains, to buffalo milk burrata being crafted on the shores of Lalla Takerkoust
• An openness to other culinary influences that allows the cuisine to grow and evolve
• Generosity of spirit and inherent hospitality that speaks to contemporary styles of service

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THE FUTURE’S FRESH, FLAVOUR-FORWARD AND AUTHENTIC

• As food migrates out of fine dining kitchens and into the main stream Morocco’s culinary evolution looks very exciting
• People are extremely proud of the quality of their produce, their history and their traditions, as they revisit them, they are writing the next chapter in Morocco’s culinary evolution
• As this next chapter evolves, Morocco will become an increasingly dynamic and fascinating place to eat.
• Although the modern Moroccan kitchen has still to break through to the global stage
• My prediction is that as Moroccan cuisine breaks through to the global stage, just as happened in France, and Spain, it will trickle down from fine dining into real food that celebrates tradition, locality and heirloom varietals, before it breaks onto the global stage.