Projects Abroad, Newsletters from Morocco

Spices- The Moroccan Spice Cabinet – Moroccan food is marked by the medley of spices found in its dishes. Dried ginger, cumin, salt, black pepper and tumeric is a mixture found in almost every tagine and couscous. Cumin is used in almost every Moroccan dish and is considered so important that it is served on the table along with salt and pepper. Cinnamon can be found in tagines, bisteeya, and fruit salads. Paprika and Sahara chiles are used to spice up some tomatobased dishes, vegetable tagine, and charmoula.

Morocco is an ethnically diverse country with a rich culture and civilization. Through Moroccan history, This country hosted many people coming from East (Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Jews and Arabs), South (Sub-Saharan Africans) and North (Romans, Vandals, Andalusians (including Moors and Jews)). All those civilizations have had an impact on the social structure of Morocco. It conceived various forms of beliefs, from paganism, Judaism, and Christianity to Islam.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Islam uses a lunar calendar-that is, each month begins with the sighting of the new moon. Because the lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan are slightly earlier every year. In 2010 Ramadan begins at sundown on August 11th.

The capital of a modern nation, Rabat symbolizes the infinite variety of Morocco. Set in a rich, amber-colored landscape, dotted with distinctive hibiscus, it elegantly combines an ancient history with a modern culture. Rabat is as well the royal city, it's the setting for the royal palace of his majesty Mohammed VI. It's also the seat of the government, and of the ministries.