Morocco is located in Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara. Morocco is slightly larger than the U.S. state of California. It’s climate is Mediterranean, with more extreme heat in the interior of the country. It’s terrain has northern coast and the interior is mountainous subject to earthquakes, periodic droughts but with rich coastal plains. Morocco languages are as follows;Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French which is often the language of business, government, and diplomacy. Main agriculture products are barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives and livestock. One such recipe for preserved lemons is a kitchen stable for most Moroccans.
Easy Preserved Lemons
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sea salt
4 large lemons
Directions:
Cut 4 slits on equal sides into the lemons, but do not slice all the way threw. Pack the sea salt into the lemon segments and pack the lemons as tightly as possible into a quart size mason jar. Seal jar according to time tested canning techniques/according to manufactures directions. Let sit for at least one month before use. Great seasoning for stews and soups.
The beautiful thing about food is that it is never boring. The diversity of spices tickles the senses and awakens the food pallet. There are more exciting spices in your food life than just salt and pepper. Spices bring the flavor of Africa right to your front door. What makes African food different from American cuisine? The spices of course! Spices have a major affect on how flavorful your food will taste. Spices add zing and zest to food, improve the flavor and delight the senses.
Recipe
Coconut Relish
South Africa
Yield 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh coconut (substitute coconut flakes)
1 tablespoon red pepper flake
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon lime juice
1 cup plain yogurt
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.
Photo USAID
The beautiful thing about food is that it is never boring. The diversity of spices tickles the senses and awakens the food pallet. There are more exciting spices in your food life than just salt and pepper. Spices bring the flavor of Africa right to your front door. What makes African food different from American cuisine? The spices of course! Spices have a major affect on how good your food will taste. Spices add zing and zest to food, improves the flavor and delights the senses.
Recipe
Coconut Relish
South Africa
Yield 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh coconut (substitute coconut flakes)
1 tablespoon red pepper flake (optional)
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon lime juice
1 cup plain yogurt
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.
Photo USAID
“Each person must ride the road of their own fate.”
-African Proverb
“Do good because of tomorrow”
-West African Proverb
“However far a stream flows, it
never forgets its origin”
-Yoruba Proverb
As expected, some African words do not translate into English. However, the word eat, “Ja” resonates with every human being. Add a new aroma to your food life. Ja means eat in the African language Southern Sotho (soh-toh) or Sesotho (se-soh-toh) spoken in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia, and it is the national language of the Kingdom of Lesotho.
What makes African food different from American cuisine? The spices of course! Spices have a major affect on how flavorful your food will taste. Spices add zing and zest to food, improve the flavor and delight the senses. Many times the same recipe will taste entirely different with different spices added. Discover and Ja! Whether you are a beginning home cook or a trained chef, you will take pleasure in creating simple recipes.
Recipe:
Okra Stew
West Africa
Yield 3-6 servings
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh okra (whole or sliced)
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 medium fresh tomatoes evenly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In a large pot on medium heat, add oil then sauté garlic and caraway seeds one minute. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer covered for 30 minutes.
Photo by USAID
Africa’s geography is as diverse as its language. The range of climate and soil conditions in Africa has created a diversity of vegetables, fruits, wild and domesticated animals. Africa rests on both sides of the equator and is the only continent to extend from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. Madagascar is famous for two food products; the vanilla bean and tamarind. Tamarind is mostly grown wild on the tropical western portion of the island. Tamarind is used as a spice in soups, in desserts or used to make wonderfully sour drinks.
Recipe
Madagascar Tamaranid Drink
Yield about 3 cups
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Tamarind paste
½ teaspoon ginger paste
3 cups hot water
½ cup granulated sugar (or to taste)
Directions:
Place all ingredients into a large heat proof pitcher. Mix wellServe over ice or serve warm. For a more adult taste mix in 1/2 cup spiced rum (or to taste)
Morocco is located in Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara. Morocco is slightly larger than the U.S. state of California. It’s climate is Mediterranean, with more extreme heat in the interior of the country. It’s terrain has northern coast and the interior is mountainous subject to earthquakes, periodic droughts but with rich coastal plains. Morocco languages are as follows;Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French which is often the language of business, government, and diplomacy. Main agriculture products are barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives and livestock. One such recipe for preserved lemons is a kitchen stable for most Moroccans.
