There is more to Moroccan cuisine than couscous.
That's the message from the sprawling culinary offerings at the kingdom's pavilion in the Opportunity District at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Head chef Faycal Hajjar has created a formidable menu encompassing not only gastronomy and street food, but dishes touching upon the various regions of the North African country.
Visitors have the option of dining within restaurants at the pavilion.
Scroll through the gallery above to see photos of the pavilion's best dishes.
On the ground floor is Le Medina, dedicated to popular and street dishes such as the couscous with seven vegetables and hearty lamb and chicken tagines.
The seventh floor is the fine-dining restaurant Taste of Morocco, which serves modern and sophisticated twists on classic staples such as the lamb shank with dried fruits and popular pastry Kaab El Ghazal.
"We want to demonstrate to people the history of Moroccan cuisine which dates back over 1,200 years," Hajjar tells The National. "It is a proud and rich culture with specific food dedicated to weddings, large gatherings, Eid, desserts and every day food. A lot of the dishes have meaning and we want to show that here at the Expo."
If you are making your way to the Moroccan Pavilion and fancy a bite, Hajjar recommends nine dishes, which he describes below. All are available at Le Medina, unless stated otherwise.
1. Moroccan tea
“It is a green tea that is not only the Moroccan daily drink, it has this wonderfully deep attachment with home and family.
“Every household has their own way of making the drink and the tea in each region of Morocco also tastes different because of the kind of water that is available. Our tea here at the pavilion is simple, in that it is made with mint, and it is refreshing.”
2. Tangia
“This is a special dish from Marrakesh and it's traditionally made for men for dinner or for a gathering of men.
“It is made in a clay pot and with tender beef. The flavour comes from the preserved lemon and some ghee. It's not very heavy and when it’s done well it tastes very juicy.”
3. Pastilla
“One of Morocco's favourite dishes and can be served with pigeon or seafood. Pastilla is a dish normally served in weddings and the cooking begins almost three days before because of the work involved.
“You have to first make the sauce which is made from a lot of onions that’s mixed in with egg in a way similar to an omelette.
“Then we cook the pigeon or seafood and add it to sauce before adding in fried almonds, honey and cinnamon. Finally, after layering it all we wrap it up in filo pastry and after it's baked we add sugar and cinnamon.
“This is a wonderful dish that is reserved for special occasions. It is not something that Moroccans consider as a daily staple.”
4. Tagine chicken meslalla
“The beauty of tagines is that it can be presented in different ways. In this version it is done with olives that have been preserved in salt and water for a few days.
“While the tagine is cooked normally, the new addition is a tomato paste that really brings the flavour of the chicken and olives together.”
5. Lamb shank with dried fruits
“Now this is an example of some of the food you will find in our fine dining restaurant Taste of Morocco”.
“The lamb shank is cooked like a tagine, basically in a form of a stew, and then we place it in an oven to give it an extra crunch. Then we add a sauce that is dry fruits cooked with cinnamon and sugar. The end result is flavour that is salty and sweet.”
6. Lamb Mechoui
“It's made of whole lamb, about 12 or 13 kilograms, and cooked overnight outdoors in a pit with charcoal.
“The lamb is served only with salt and some cumin and with no accompanying sauces. The flavour all comes from the tenderness of the meat.
“Because this is a dish that takes a lot of work, it is normally served for a group of 10 people in major events. Families who are expecting important visitors will also make a lamb mechoui in honour of their guests.”
7. Couscous with seven vegetables
“One of the most popular forms of couscous dishes. Why do we put seven vegetables? It is just one of those things that goes back in our history.
“For this dish, the vegetables and couscous are served with caramelised onions on top as well as almonds.”
8. Kaab El Ghazal
“In English it means the gazelle’s horns and it is one of the most famous pastries in Morocco.
"It is primarily made with almonds, eggs and not too much flour. Drizzled with some orange blossom water it is supposed to taste crunchy on the outside and soft inside. This is also available at Taste of Morocco.”
9. Msemen
“This is a traditional flat bread fried in a pan with some butter, then we place it in the oven for a small amount of time before serving it with honey and more butter.
“The origin of this dish is that we eat it in Eid Al Fitr in the mornings with some tea. Now it has become a common street food you can find anywhere.”
The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
Scorebox
Dubai Hurricanes 31 Dubai Sports City Eagles 22
Hurricanes
Tries: Finck, Powell, Jordan, Roderick, Heathcote
Cons: Tredray 2, Powell
Eagles
Tries: O’Driscoll 2, Ives
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey
Signs%20of%20%20%20%20%20%20%20heat%20stroke
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20loss%20of%20sodium%20chloride%20in%20our%20sweat%20can%20lead%20to%20confusion%20and%20an%20altered%20mental%20status%20and%20slurred%20speech%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EBody%20temperature%20above%2039%C2%B0C%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHot%2C%20dry%20and%20red%20or%20damp%20skin%20can%20indicate%20heatstroke%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EA%20faster%20pulse%20than%20usual%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDizziness%2C%20nausea%20and%20headaches%20are%20also%20signs%20of%20overheating%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIn%20extreme%20cases%2C%20victims%20can%20lose%20consciousness%20and%20require%20immediate%20medical%20attention%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMay%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHusam%20Aboul%20Hosn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDIFC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%E2%80%94%20Innovation%20Hub%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmployees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%20funding%20raised%20from%20family%20and%20friends%20earlier%20this%20year%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
The five pillars of Islam
Bawaal%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nitesh%20Tiwari%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Varun%20Dhawan%2C%20Janhvi%20Kapoor%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Raghida, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,200m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 2 (PA) Dh300,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Trolius, Ryan Powell, Simon Crisford
Test squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan(wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah
Twenty20 squad: Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz