Restaurant Merzouga, Restaurant Morocco, Nasser Palace Merzouga, Moroccan Food, Gastronomy Sahara Desert

	Hotel Merzouga Hotel Merzouga

Have you ever wondered how food would taste in Saharan regions? The strong flavors of different spices, the couscous, the tajines?

We have an excellent fine quality restaurant service available 24h a day. Our cuisine staff know what your food wishes are and will make you delights you will never forget.

Morocco is internationally known for its delicatessens and great cuisine. We make it possible for you to combine Moroccan cuisine with a Saharan taste either having a meal in our restaurant or in the terrace with view to the amazing Dunes of Erg Chebbi. Moroccan Cuisine

Moroccan cuisine has long been considered as one of the most diversified cuisines in the world. The reason is because of the interaction of Morocco with the outside world for centuries.

The cuisine of Morocco is a mix of Berber, Moorish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and African cuisines.

The cooks in the royal kitchens of Fez, Meknes, Marrakech, Rabat and Tetouan refined Moroccan cuisine over the centuries and created the basis for what is known as Moroccan cuisine today.

Being at the crossroads of many civilisations, the cuisine of Morocco has been influenced by the native Berber cuisine, the Arabic Andalusian cuisine; brought by the Moriscos when they left Spain, the Turkish cuisine from the Turkish and the Middle Eastern cuisines brought by the Arabs as well as the Jewish cuisine.

The history of Morocco is reflected in its cuisine. Political refugees left Baghdad in the Middle Ages and settled in Morocco, bringing with them traditional recipes that are now common in Morocco but forgotten in the Middle East. We know this because there are striking similarities between a 12th century (Common Era) collection of recipes by Al-Baghdadi, and contemporary Moroccan dishes. A signature characteristic is cooking fruit with meat like quince with lamb or apricots with chicken. Further influences upon Moroccan cuisine came from the Morisco (Muslim refugees) who were expelled from Spain during the Spanish inquisition.

Morocco produces a large range of Mediterranean fruits and vegetables and even some tropical ones. The country produces large quantities of sheep, poultry, cattle, tuppingand seafood which serve as a base for the cuisine.

Spices are used extensively in Moroccan food. While spices have been imported to Morocco for thousands of years, many ingredients, like saffron from Tiliouine, mint and olives from Meknes, and oranges and lemons from Fez, are home-grown. Common spices include karfa (cinnamon), kamoun (cumin), kharkoum (tumeric), skingbir (ginger), libzar (pepper) , tahmira (paprika), anis seed, sesame seed, kasbour (coriander), maadnous (parsley), zaafrane beldi (saffron) and mint.

The midday meal is the main meal, with the exception of the holy month of Ramadan. The typical formal meal begins with a series of hot and cold salads, followed by a tagine. Bread is eaten with every meal. Often a lamb or chicken dish is next, followed by couscous topped with meats and vegetables. A cup of sweet mint tea is commonly used to end the meal. It is common for Moroccans to eat using the fingers of their hand, and use bread as a "utensil."