Moroccan cuisine is aromatic and refined—tagines slow-cooked, couscous on Fridays, and mint tea as welcome.
Tagine
Slow-Cooked Stew
Meat and vegetables braised in conical clay pot with preserved lemon and olives.
Ingredients: 500g lamb or chicken, Preserved lemon, Green olives, Onion, garlic, ginger, Saffron, cumin, coriander, Honey, cilantro.
Preparation: Layer onions in tagine. Then add meat, season with spices. Add garlic, ginger, saffron. Add small amount of water. Then cook on low heat 2 hours. Last, add preserved lemon and olives last 15 min.
💡 The conical lid returns condensation—very little liquid needed.
Couscous
Friday Tradition
Steamed semolina with seven vegetables and meat—family Friday lunch.
Ingredients: 480ml couscous, Lamb or chicken, Seven vegetables (carrots, turnip, zucchini, cabbage, etc.), Chickpeas, Ras el hanout, saffron, Butter.
Preparation: Steam couscous three times. Cook meat and vegetables in broth below. Fluf couscous between steamings. Then add butter after final steam. Mound couscous, top with meat and vegetables. Finally, serve broth on side.
💡 Three steamings makes light, fluffy couscous.
Mint Tea
Atay
Sweet mint tea poured from height—Moroccan hospitality in a glass.
Ingredients: 15g Chinese gunpowder green tea, 1 large bunch fresh mint (about 30g), 60g sugar (or to taste), 1L boiling water.
Preparation: Rinse tea with hot water, discard. Add fresh hot water, steep 2 min. Add mint and sugar. Then steep 3 more minutes. Pour from height for froth. Finally, serve in small glasses.
💡 Pouring from height aerates and cools—essential for proper taste.
Morocco is North Africa's most significant wine producer and one of the oldest wine-producing countries on the African continent. Viticulture was established by Phoenician colonists at Lixus (near modern Larache) as early as the 5th century BCE, continued under Roman rule, and was revived on an industrial scale during the French Protectorate (1912–1956), when French settlers planted extensive vineyards to supply the metropolitan market. Today, despite being a Muslim-majority nation, Morocco maintains approximately 35,000 hectares under vine and produces around 35 million liters of wine annually — making it the second-largest wine producer in the Arab world after Algeria.
🗺️ Regions & Varieties
The Meknès-Fès region (Appellation d'Origine Garantie Guerrouane and Beni M'Tir) is Morocco's viticultural heartland — a high plateau at 500–600 meters elevation between the Middle Atlas and the Rif, with a continental Mediterranean climate that provides warm days and cool nights ideal for Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. Domaine de la Zouina, Château Roslane, and Les Celliers de Meknès (the largest producer, responsible for the ubiquitous Médaillon and the premium Château Roslane labels) dominate production. The Essaouira region on the Atlantic coast and the Benslimane area near Casablanca produce wines with maritime influence. Thalvin (producers of S de Siroua and Volubilia) has pioneered premium quality. Morocco's wine industry exists in a cultural grey zone — production is legal, but consumption is officially discouraged for Muslims; wine is available in licensed restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets in major cities but absent from traditional medinas and rural areas.
🏆 Kaufmann Wine Score (KWS)
100-point scoring: 🟡 Aroma (0-25) · 🔴 Taste (0-30) · 🟣 Finish (0-20) · 🔵 Value (0-25)
| Wine |
🟡 |
🔴 |
🟣 |
🔵 |
KWS |
| Château Roslane AOG Guerrouane |
19 |
23 |
14 |
23 |
79 |
| Volubilia Syrah-Grenache (Thalvin) |
18 |
22 |
14 |
23 |
77 |
✍️ Author's Note
Radim Kaufmann
Drinking Moroccan wine in a garden restaurant in Meknès — the imperial city of Moulay Ismail, with the ruins of Volubilis (Rome's most southwesterly outpost, where mosaics still depict Bacchus and grapevines) just 30 kilometers away — the continuity was striking. Wine has been made on this plateau for 2,500 years, through Phoenician, Roman, Arab, French, and Moroccan sovereignty. The wines are improving rapidly — the best Château Roslane reds would surprise anyone expecting North African wine to be simple. Morocco's challenge is cultural: making excellent wine in a country where most of the population officially doesn't drink it. It is a paradox the Moroccans navigate with characteristic pragmatism and grace.
