Moroccan food has a defining expectation of being aromatic, layered with spice, and full of life. It is a cuisine that embraces exotic 'touches' of saffron, orange flower water and honey. It is colourful (not only in appearance but also flavour), and intoxicating.
When it comes to the sweet baked offerings of this cuisine, they often come in the form of pastries and biscuits – Moroccans certainly aren’t known for their cakes – using common ingredients, including nuts (such as almonds and pistachios), honey, flower waters of rose and orange, spices of cinnamon and anise seed, and crisp thin pastry, called warga. This paper-like pastry is made from high-gluten flour, semolina and vegetable oil. It can, however, be hard to get hold of outside the Moroccan borders and filo pastry makes a happy substitute, especially in the sweet that combine a flavoursome almond paste centre enclosed in a crisp layer of honey-soaked pastry.
, twice-cooked biscuits similar to the Italian biscotti, are well-loved and provide a not-too-sweet accompaniment to Moroccan mint tea or a glass of milk for dunking – even for the grown-ups.
is another traditional Moroccan pastry-based dessert that interleaves thin layers of pastry with luscious orange flower water scented crème anglaise and cinnamon-spiced almonds – a beautiful combination that is delicate in texture, yet surprisingly bold in flavour.
And when it comes to biscuits like , only the Moroccans can make a simple, uncomplicated mix with very few ingredients seem so exotic and special.
Moroccan spice recipes
Source: Alan Benson
These "very Moroccan" cookies are dead-easy to make, but still special with the addition of orange blossom water. Source: Alan Benson
Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Lynsey Fryers. Food preparation by Tina McLeish.
Encaustic hexagonal tiles from Surface Gallery. Side plates and saucer from Mud. Diamond side plate from Citta.
