what is it with moroccans and naming products after people?
:D
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Category: foooood
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pastilla
we ate a lot of tagine and couscous in morocco, but what really stood out for me was a dish called pastilla… which according to wikipedia, it’s actually an andalusian meat pie that migrated to north africa, and became popular there.
pastilla is a bit tricky to figure out, because being small and simultaneously savoury and sweet, it straddles the border between entrée, main course and dessert. all i know is that it’s delicious! the meat (traditionally pigeon, but mostly chicken these days) is mixed with roasted almonds, eggs, saffron and other spices, covered in super crispy dough sheets, and finally dusted with sugar and cinnamon before serving.
the result is a fragrant pocket of goodness… though it can be a bit tricky to dig into!
so it’s a bit of work, but when you finally manage to get a piece of it inside your month, it’s a-ma-zing!
bon appétit! :P
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breakfasts in morocco
my favourite meal of the day does not disappoint in morocco — there are lots of different kinds of buns and breads to try, and orange juice is never far behind. the french influence can be felt on the croissants, baguette and pains au chocolat that often pop on the breakfast table too. all good things, in my book!
here are some of the things we’ve eaten in marrakesh, fez and rabat:
from left to right, krachel (anis and sesame sweet rolls) and beghrir (semolina pancakes), and then on the right there’s khobz, the omnipresent moroccan bread.
msemen are the pan-fried squares of dough. they’re one of my favourites and remind me of chinese street pancakes (minus the scallion). they also come in round versions, called meloui.
and finally, a new egg-dish: eggs with khlii, which is a type of beef jerky (dried meat that is preserved in animal fat).
i’m looking forward to revisiting a few of these this week, and try something new as well.
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moroccan danone
we were pleasantly surprised to discover that danone in morocco had a couple of regional (and seasonal!) flavours: dates + walnuts + almonds, and another one with dried figs + honey!
these were pretty cool, and could easily sell around here as well. how about some regional algarve flavours? figs, almonds and carob, for instance — the holy trinity of the south! :D
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folar de olhão
folar is a traditional portuguese easter cake — the equivalent to hot cross buns. there are several different types of folar here in algarve, but they’re usually a layered cake, cooked in small pots. they do a delicious version of it in olhão that is so good they sell it year-round in supermarkets!
granted, it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but when you slice through it…
… magic! layers over layers of moist cinnamon-y goodness, compacted over time under a thick syrup. it might be ugly, but it’s oh-so-good. don’t knock it until you try it!
ps — well, i’ll be damned — looks like we’ve been eating it wrong all along… this explains so much!