Rfissa is a traditional dish of stewed chicken pieces, onions, and lentils served over shredded msemmen, old bread, or trid pastry. The full list of ingredients is as follows: chicken, onions, saffron, ginger, lentils, msemmen, fenugreek seeds, and ras el hanout.
The dish is traditionally served on the third day after the birth of a child or for similar festive occasions. It's typically consumed by a group of people gathering around the large dish, and each person then eats from his side of the platter.
Tanjia is a unique Moroccan specialty made by cooking lamb meat in a clay urn along with flavorings such as saffron, cumin, garlic, lemons, and olive oil. The dish is especially popular in Marrakech, where the urns are filled with all of the ingredients, then placed in the coals of a public bath (hammam) to slowly cook overnight until the meat is so tender that it falls off the bone.
Originally, tanjia was created and cooked by men who would go on outdoor picnics.
MOST ICONIC Tanjia
As the name suggests, the star ingredient in this traditional Moroccan dish is chicken, preferably bone-in chicken cuts such as legs, thighs, or drumsticks. Like other tajine dishes, this chicken variety is also prepared in the eponymous conical cooking vessel.
The meat is neatly arranged with various vegetables such as onions, carrots, tomatoes, or potatoes, and the whole dish is usually seasoned with cumin, saffron, parsley, or coriander. Typical variations also may include preserved lemons, olives, almonds, or apricots.
MOST ICONIC Chicken Tajine
View moreKefta tagine is a classic Morrocan tagine variety consisting of small meatballs in a homemade tomato sauce, and are prepared in the eponymous conical cooking vessel.
The meatballs are shaped into spheres the size of a cherry tomato, made of ground lamb or beef meat (or a combination of two), and flavored with spices such as paprika, cumin, parsley, coriander, black pepper, and salt, and cooked in a piquant tomato sauce.
Sometimes kofta tagine also includes eggs, which are added to the sauce near the end of cooking and cooked until poached.
Kefta tagine is mainly prepared at home and is a communal dish traditionally served straight from the tagine pot, with khobz or some other Moroccan bread used to scoop the tasty stew.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Mrouzia is one of the most loved sweet-and-savory Moroccan dishes, consisting of a tagine with lamb, honey, almonds, raisins, and ras el hanout spices. The dish is traditionally reserved for festivities, celebrations, holidays, and similar large gatherings.
This tagine is one of the most popular dishes during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. It is recommended to garnish the dish with a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Khlea is a Moroccan specialty consisting of preserved dried meat that is usually made in advance, at least two days ahead. The meat, often lamb or beef, is cut into strips and rubbed with spices, then dried in the sun and cooked in a combination of oil, fat, and water.
The dried strips are stored in cooking fat, then refrigerated. Khlea can be served with eggs or it can be used as a filling for numerous dough-based dishes.
Mreifisa is a traditional dish originating from Western Sahara. This comforting stew is usually served for larger groups of people and is prepared with lamb, onions, garlic, beef broth, and olive oil. The lamb is cut into cubes, then combined with garlic, onions, and olive oil until the vegetables soften and the lamb is slightly browned.
The concoction is then combined with the broth, water, and salt to cook until the lamb becomes tender. Mreifisa is traditionally served with a simple bread consisting of flour, water, and salt. The meat is often served separately from the broth, which is poured over the bread.
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