What do you think?
Morocco: A Culinary Journey with Recipes from the Spice-Scented Markets of Marrakech to the Date-Filled Oasis of Zagora
The acclaimed food writer and photographer explores the rich and varied cuisine of Morocco in this sumptuously illustrated cookbook.
With a wide range of exotic flavors and cooking styles, Morocco includes eighty recipes with Spanish influences, rustic Berber styles, complex, palace-worthy plates, spicy tagines, and surprisingly easy to make street food. Here you will discover piquant appetizers like cumin-spiced potato fritters, classic tagine and couscous entrees, stuffed pastries like Seafood Pastilla, fragrant sweets like Honeyed Phyllo Triangles Stuffed with Almonds, and, of course, Mint Tea.
Drawing on culinary traditions from across Morocco’s diverse geography—from the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts to the Sahara Desert—this beautiful collection of recipes surprises and inspires the home cook. Gorgeous photographs of such iconic Moroccan scenes as the markets of Marrakech and the date-filled oasis of Zagora capture the many flavors of this sun-splashed country.
With a wide range of exotic flavors and cooking styles, Morocco includes eighty recipes with Spanish influences, rustic Berber styles, complex, palace-worthy plates, spicy tagines, and surprisingly easy to make street food. Here you will discover piquant appetizers like cumin-spiced potato fritters, classic tagine and couscous entrees, stuffed pastries like Seafood Pastilla, fragrant sweets like Honeyed Phyllo Triangles Stuffed with Almonds, and, of course, Mint Tea.
Drawing on culinary traditions from across Morocco’s diverse geography—from the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts to the Sahara Desert—this beautiful collection of recipes surprises and inspires the home cook. Gorgeous photographs of such iconic Moroccan scenes as the markets of Marrakech and the date-filled oasis of Zagora capture the many flavors of this sun-splashed country.
393 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2012
About the author
Jeff Koehler
23 books18 followersI grew up north of Seattle, studied at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and then hit the road. The next four years were spent traveling in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and Asia.
After those years of constant roaming, when food was as much of the joy and discovery as the people and places, I settled in London to do graduate work at King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
There, in the kitchen of a shared Hampstead residence hall, I met another foreign post-grad, a Catalan woman. When she returned home to Barcelona to do her PhD, I followed. That was 1996. We married not long after, and for most of the time since then we have lived here. We have two young girls. Barcelona is home, though I continue to travel widely and frequently.
Along with my four cookbooks and two non-fiction works, I have written, mostly about food and travel, for many magazines and newspapers, including Saveur, Food & Wine, Gourmet (RIP), NPR.org, nationalgeographic.com, EatingWell, the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly on-line, Christian Science Monitor, Dwell, Virtuoso Life, Aramco World, Destinasia, and Afar.
Darjeeling won the 2016 IACP award for literary food writing and a Gourmand Best in the World prize for book on tea. Where the Wild Coffee Grows will be published by Bloomsbury in November 2017.
For me food is an ideal subject because writing about it is writing about culture. It is the window through which almost any story can be told.
After those years of constant roaming, when food was as much of the joy and discovery as the people and places, I settled in London to do graduate work at King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
There, in the kitchen of a shared Hampstead residence hall, I met another foreign post-grad, a Catalan woman. When she returned home to Barcelona to do her PhD, I followed. That was 1996. We married not long after, and for most of the time since then we have lived here. We have two young girls. Barcelona is home, though I continue to travel widely and frequently.
Along with my four cookbooks and two non-fiction works, I have written, mostly about food and travel, for many magazines and newspapers, including Saveur, Food & Wine, Gourmet (RIP), NPR.org, nationalgeographic.com, EatingWell, the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly on-line, Christian Science Monitor, Dwell, Virtuoso Life, Aramco World, Destinasia, and Afar.
Darjeeling won the 2016 IACP award for literary food writing and a Gourmand Best in the World prize for book on tea. Where the Wild Coffee Grows will be published by Bloomsbury in November 2017.
For me food is an ideal subject because writing about it is writing about culture. It is the window through which almost any story can be told.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 3, 2024
Of course, Morocco: A Culinary Journey with Recipes from the Spice-Scented Markets of Marrakech to the Date-Filled Oasis of Zagora is a cookbook, but it’s much more. Author Jeff Kohler fills readers in on the history and geography of Morocco, its various populations and the many influences on its cuisine. Had every recipe been a bust, this cookbook was definitely a worthwhile read, if just for this tantalizing travelogue, complete with photos.
But Kohler doesn’t disappoint on the recipes, either. From tangines to skewers to salads to desserts to the national drink of mint tea, there’s plenty of Moroccan dishes to love.
But Kohler doesn’t disappoint on the recipes, either. From tangines to skewers to salads to desserts to the national drink of mint tea, there’s plenty of Moroccan dishes to love.
August 26, 2023
it was okay
I paid $1.99 for it so I am not concerned. But the soup on the cover has like no ingredients and many of the things appear to be plain in flavor not what I expected from a Moroccan cook book
I paid $1.99 for it so I am not concerned. But the soup on the cover has like no ingredients and many of the things appear to be plain in flavor not what I expected from a Moroccan cook book
January 25, 2016
Lovely, luscious, easy to follow recipes.... I am hungry.
The lamb dishes, the salads, the desserts..... Grated carrot & orange salad; Cucumbers in sweet marinade w/ oregano; Lamb tagine w/ oranges, saffron & candied orange peel; Glazed lamb w/ almonds & raisins; Chicken tagine w/ preserved lemons & olives; Couscos w/ pumpkin; Honeyed phyllo triangles stuffed w/ almonds; Milk pudding w/ almonds; Clementine sponge cake w/ clementine glaze.....
An entire section on Moroccan Pantry... Yum, let's eat!
The lamb dishes, the salads, the desserts..... Grated carrot & orange salad; Cucumbers in sweet marinade w/ oregano; Lamb tagine w/ oranges, saffron & candied orange peel; Glazed lamb w/ almonds & raisins; Chicken tagine w/ preserved lemons & olives; Couscos w/ pumpkin; Honeyed phyllo triangles stuffed w/ almonds; Milk pudding w/ almonds; Clementine sponge cake w/ clementine glaze.....
An entire section on Moroccan Pantry... Yum, let's eat!
October 20, 2016
I liked where he discussed the different regions of Morocco and the differences in the cuisine the best. I would have liked the occasional description of what various photos depicted. Some of the recipes looked interesting but more for 4+ people rather than 1 person alone.
February 23, 2022
Can't wait to try a bunch of these. Especially the spiced coffee!
August 10, 2024
Very interesting overview of the country, the culture and the herbs and spices used there. Inspired recipes.
August 6, 2012
Ask people what the typical foods from Morocco are and you probably will get a blank look. Which is a great shame.
This richly-decorated, colourful book is a real cook's tour. A tourist book without the tourist information, combining culinary information and recipes together to really help deliver a flavour of Morocco. Drawing naturally on culinary influences from its neighbours, Moroccan cuisine remains an intriguing, mysterious world that, through this book, you can get a privileged look at.
Following on from an enchanting introduction and overview of Morocco - the country and its regions, the reader is taken inside a typical Moroccan pantry. Key ingredients are examined, their use and preparation discussed and even local language translations provided (in case you find yourself in Morocco?). A similar look is then made at the typical tools you may find in a Moroccan kitchen. Whilst you can make do at home with what you already have, there are a few bits and pieces that you might wish to acquire (if you are a kitchen magpie or just like to do things the authentic, traditional way).
After that it is straight to the recipes. Well almost as you still get a lot of useful information wrapped around the recipes and stuffed in-between for good measure. Starting off with breads and pastries - did you know that bread is a staple of Moroccan diets - and boy do some of the delicate 'basic' pastries stuffed with rice or cheese look absolutely scrumptious, yet so simple. Each recipe is comprehensively written without being verbose, providing sufficient information to help a total newcomer make great food without being patronising or overbearing. The book has about 80 recipes in total so you are getting more of an overview or taster than the total, one-and-only book you may need to Moroccan recipes, yet this is not a complaint as you are getting a great little package, a wonderful introduction no less.
After bread and pastries, the reader is guided through the Moroccan world of soups and legumes; street food; fresh & cooked salads; meats; eggs & poultry; fish & shellfish; couscous; sweets & desserts and finally drinks. Many of the recipes surprise (as in, aha! you can do that with that!) and quite a few amaze by their beautiful simplicity. The recipes standout by themselves. The quality photographs just make things even better, if that is possible. At the end there is a bibliography for the curious to read even more about Moroccan cuisine and, as you would expect, a great index.
This reviewer can see this book forming part of any ambitious gastronome's library, a basis for experimentation, a further weapon in the fusion arsenal.. as well as being a damn good introduction to another culture's culinary world. A further, more expanded companion to this book, written in the same style, is now needed!
Morocco: A Culinary Journey with Recipes from the Spice-Scented Markets of Marrakech to the Date-Filled Oasis of Zagora, written by Jeff Koehler and published by Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811877381, 224 pages. Typical price: GBP15. YYYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
This richly-decorated, colourful book is a real cook's tour. A tourist book without the tourist information, combining culinary information and recipes together to really help deliver a flavour of Morocco. Drawing naturally on culinary influences from its neighbours, Moroccan cuisine remains an intriguing, mysterious world that, through this book, you can get a privileged look at.
Following on from an enchanting introduction and overview of Morocco - the country and its regions, the reader is taken inside a typical Moroccan pantry. Key ingredients are examined, their use and preparation discussed and even local language translations provided (in case you find yourself in Morocco?). A similar look is then made at the typical tools you may find in a Moroccan kitchen. Whilst you can make do at home with what you already have, there are a few bits and pieces that you might wish to acquire (if you are a kitchen magpie or just like to do things the authentic, traditional way).
After that it is straight to the recipes. Well almost as you still get a lot of useful information wrapped around the recipes and stuffed in-between for good measure. Starting off with breads and pastries - did you know that bread is a staple of Moroccan diets - and boy do some of the delicate 'basic' pastries stuffed with rice or cheese look absolutely scrumptious, yet so simple. Each recipe is comprehensively written without being verbose, providing sufficient information to help a total newcomer make great food without being patronising or overbearing. The book has about 80 recipes in total so you are getting more of an overview or taster than the total, one-and-only book you may need to Moroccan recipes, yet this is not a complaint as you are getting a great little package, a wonderful introduction no less.
After bread and pastries, the reader is guided through the Moroccan world of soups and legumes; street food; fresh & cooked salads; meats; eggs & poultry; fish & shellfish; couscous; sweets & desserts and finally drinks. Many of the recipes surprise (as in, aha! you can do that with that!) and quite a few amaze by their beautiful simplicity. The recipes standout by themselves. The quality photographs just make things even better, if that is possible. At the end there is a bibliography for the curious to read even more about Moroccan cuisine and, as you would expect, a great index.
This reviewer can see this book forming part of any ambitious gastronome's library, a basis for experimentation, a further weapon in the fusion arsenal.. as well as being a damn good introduction to another culture's culinary world. A further, more expanded companion to this book, written in the same style, is now needed!
Morocco: A Culinary Journey with Recipes from the Spice-Scented Markets of Marrakech to the Date-Filled Oasis of Zagora, written by Jeff Koehler and published by Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811877381, 224 pages. Typical price: GBP15. YYYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
June 27, 2012
Great book! It's got a wonderful introduction to Morocco (food and culture). Plus just all-together a beautifully put together book with lovely pictures and easy to follow recipes. I've made a few recipes (mostly the warm veggie "salads") so far and they've all been delicious. Moroccan is my new favorite, I think; exotic, yet simple.
May 16, 2020
Excellent recipes!
Can’t wait to make them all. Very easy-to follow instructions, and lots of interesting background. Also, terrific photos of the dishes.
Can’t wait to make them all. Very easy-to follow instructions, and lots of interesting background. Also, terrific photos of the dishes.
December 11, 2023
Morrocan food sounds delicious. I need to try to make some of these recipes!
January 25, 2024
I got this from the library and have now ordered it.
January 5, 2020
"Eating is not an individual experience,” echoed a friend from the agricultural heartland between Fès and Marrakech. “Everyone is equal when eating. It’s about sharing."
December 15, 2023
Interesting Recipes from Moroccan Cuisine
May 7, 2015
This book is not merely a cookbook, with notes about history, culture, and the cultivation of ingredients. It shows the author's deep love for Moroccan cooking in the well-written description of spices, the tips contained to help the non-Moroccan cook adapt recipes to a modern kitchen, and the selection of recipes.
If you love food and cooking, close the windows. Your neighbors will wonder at the obscene noises you make when perusing this book's pages.
If you love food and cooking, close the windows. Your neighbors will wonder at the obscene noises you make when perusing this book's pages.
April 5, 2013
While the pixtjrea were beautiful, the recipes were pretty dull.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews