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The Fruit of
Morocco.
Mention Morocco and people
immediately think of
DATES The Date Palm (Phoenix
dactylifera) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, extensively cultivated for its
edible fruit. Due to its long history of cultivation for fruit, its exact native
distribution is unknown, but probably originated somewhere in the desert oases
of northern Africa, and perhaps also southwest
Asia. It is a medium-sized tree,
15–25 m tall, often clumped with several trunks from a single root system, but
often growing singly as well. The leaves are pinnate,
3–5 m long, with spines on the petiole and about 150 leaflets; the leaflets are
30 cm long and 2 cm broad. The full span of the crown ranges from 6–10
m. The fruit is a drupe known as a date. They are oval, 3–7 cm long,
and 2–3 cm diameter, and when unripe, range from bright red to bright yellow in
colour, depending on variety. Dates contain a single seed about 2–2.5 cm long
and 6–8 mm thick. Three main cultivar groups of date exist; soft (e.g. 'Barhee',
'Halawy', 'Khadrawy', 'Medjool'), semi-dry (e.g. 'Dayri', 'Deglet Noor',
'Zahidi'), and dry (e.g. 'Thoory'). The type of fruit depends on the glucose,
fructose and sucrose content. As we can attest the date also makes a jolly good
alcoholic potion similar to Saki but twice as strong. The first mouthful
definitely gives indigestion but after a couple of swigs, that disappears as the
alcohol has its numbing effect.
The Date Palm is dioecious, having separate male and female
plants. They can be easily grown from seed, but only 50% of seedlings will be
female and hence fruit bearing, and dates from seedling plants are often smaller
and of poorer quality. Most commercial plantations thus use cuttings of heavily
cropping cultivars, mainly 'Medjool' as this cultivar produces particularly high
yields of large, sweet fruit. Plants grown from cuttings will fruit 2–3 years
earlier than seedling plants. Dates are naturally wind pollinated but in both
traditional oasis horticulture and in the modern commercial orchards they are
entirely pollinated manually. Natural pollination occurs with about an equal
number of male and female plants. However, with assistance, one male can
pollenize up to 100 females. Since the males are of value only as pollenizers,
this allows the growers to use their resources for many more fruit producing
female plants. Some growers do not even maintain any male plants as male flowers
become available at local markets at pollination time. Manual pollination is
done by skilled labourers on ladders, or in some areas such as Iraq they climb
the tree using a special climbing tool that wraps around the tree trunk and the
climber's back to keep him attached to the trunk while climbing. Less often the
pollen may be blown onto the female flowers by wind machine.
MEDICINAL USES. Dates have a high
tannin content and are used medicinally as a detersive (having cleansing power)
and astringent in intestinal troubles. As an infusion, decoction, syrup, or
paste, dates may be administered for sore throat, colds, bronchial catarrh, and
taken to relieve fever and number of other complaints. One traditional belief is
that it can counteract alcohol intoxication. The seed powder is also used in
some traditional medicines. A gum that exudes from the wounded trunk is employed
in India for treating diarrhoea and genito-urinary ailments. The roots are used
against toothache. The pollen yields an estrogenic principle, estrone, and has a
gonadotropic effect on young rats.
OTHER USES. The
trunks can be used as fire wood, branches in house building, palms added to
roofs for insulation against the heat. If there is no other food available the
camel will eat it.
The POMEGRANATE
The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit-bearing deciduous
shrub or small tree growing to between five and eight metres tall. The
pomegranate is native to the region from Iran to the Himalayas in northern
India and has been cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean
region and the Caucasus since ancient times. Pomegranate aril juice provides
about 16% of an adult's daily vitamin C requirement per 100 ml serving, and is a
good source of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), potassium and
antioxidant polyphenols. Widely used in cookery all over the world and in
cocktails.
MEDICINAL USES. The most abundant
polyphenols in pomegranate juice are the hydrolyzable tannins called
punicalagins which have free-radical scavenging properties in laboratory
experiments. Punicalagins are absorbed into the human body and may have dietary
value as antioxidants, but conclusive proof of efficacy in humans has not yet
been shown. Many food and dietary supplement makers have found advantages of
using pomegranate phenolic extracts as ingredients in their products instead of
the juice. One of these extracts is ellagic acid which may become bioavailable
only after parent molecule punicalagins are metabolized. In preliminary
laboratory research and human pilot studies, juice of the pomegranate was
effective in reducing heart disease risk factors, including LDL oxidation,
macrophage oxidative status, and foam cell formation, all of which are steps in
atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Tannins and punicalagins are primary
factors for reducing oxidative stress which may account for such risk factors.
Pomegranate juice has also been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure by
inhibiting serum angiotensin-converting enzyme, may inhibit viral infections,
and may have antibacterial effects against dental plaque. Containing
polyphenols which inhibit estrogen synthesis, pomegranate seed oil was effective
against proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro.
OTHER USES. The Pomegranate
has been used widely as a religious symbol across many
ages. The pomegranate is the symbol
and heraldic device of the city of Granada in
Andalusia, Spain. Pomegranate is one of
the symbols of Armenia, representing fertility, abundance
and marriage. It is the official logo of many cities in
Turkey. Pomegranate juice is used for
natural dyeing of non-synthetic fabrics. Although not native to China, Korea or Japan, the
pomegranate is widely grown there and many cultivars have been developed. It is
widely used for bonsai because of its flowers and for the
unusual twisted bark that older specimens can attain. Balaustines, the red rose-like flowers of the
pomegranate, taste bitter and may be used as an astringent in folk
medicine. The term "balaustine" (Latin:
balaustinus) is also used for a
pomegranate-red color. In Mexico, pomegranate seeds are an
essential ingredient of chiles en nogada, a favoured food
symbolizing the red component of the national flag. Kandahar
is famous in Afghanistan for its high quality pomegranates.
Pomegranate is displayed on coins from the ancient city of
Side, Pamphylia.
You can buy Oranges, Avocados, Bananas, Apples, Pears, Water and Honeydew
Melons. The two fruits I have gone into detail with just happen to be our
favourites.
Vegetables we have seen in the market and supermarket are just as you find
anywhere else.
COOKING
A tajine or tagine (Arabic: طاجين) is a type of
dish found in cuisines of Morocco, which is named after the special
pot in which it is cooked. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a
heavy clay which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts; a
base unit which is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or
dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is so
designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. With the cover
removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving. Recently, European
manufacturers have created tajines with heavy cast iron bottoms that can be
fired on a stovetop at high heat. This permits browning meat and vegetables
before cooking. While the similar Dutch oven and sach, (a cast iron
pot with a tight cover) braises most efficiently in the oven, the tajine braises
best on the stovetop.
Tajines in Moroccan cuisine are slow-cooked stews braised at low
temperatures, resulting in tender meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce. They
are traditionally cooked in the tajine pot, whose cover has a knob-like
formation at its top to facilitate removal. While simmering, the cover can be
lifted off without the aid of a mitten, enabling the cook to inspect the main
ingredients, add vegetables, move things around, or add additional braising
liquid. Most tagines involve slow simmering of less-expensive meats. For
example, the ideal cuts of lamb are the neck, shoulder or shank cooked until it
is falling off the bone. Very few Moroccan tagines require initial browning; if
there is to be browning it is invariably done after the lamb has been simmered
and the flesh has become butter-tender and very moist. In order to accomplish
this, the cooking liquid must contain some fat, which may be skimmed off later.
Moroccan tajines often combine lamb or chicken with a medley of ingredients
or seasonings: olives, quinces, apples, pears, apricots, raisins, prunes, dates,
nuts, with fresh or preserved lemons, with or without honey, with or without a
complexity of spices. Traditional spices that are used to flavour tajines
include ground cinnamon, saffron, ginger, tumeric, cumin, paprika, pepper, as
well as the famous spice blend Ras el hanout. Some famous tajine dishes are
mqualli or mshermel (both are pairings of chicken, olives and citrus fruits,
though preparation methods differ), kefta (meatballs in an egg and tomato
sauce), and mrouzia (lamb, raisins and almonds). Other ingredients for a tajine
include any product that braises well: fish, quail, pigeon, beef, root
vegetables, legumes, even amber and aga wood. Modern recipes in the West include
pot roasts, ossobuco, lamb shanks and turkey legs.
Seasonings can be traditional Moroccan spices, French, Italian or suited to the
dish.
All in all sumptuous food, flavours, spices, fruits and
vegetables. And Big Bear loves it all.
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