Josh and I were both very excited about our Morrocan themed weekend. We had a lot of fun cooking and eating Moroccan cuisine. I didn’t learn as much as I’d hoped about Moroccan culture as I’d hoped, so the learning will just have to continue.
The Food
The first thing that came to mind when I thought of Moroccan cuisine is tagine. The stew gets its name from the distinctive clay pot in which it is cooked. I think the recipe we used could have used a little more chicken stock to make it a little more stewy, but it was delicious and full of spices. I am eager to try making this (or a similar recipe) again.
The chicken tagine paired perfectly with the spiced vegetable couscous that we made. Couscous is a North African Staple, so we knew we had to make some this weekend. This recipe is so good, and the chickpeas and vegetables make it feel both hearty and healthy. I was glad that we had a lot of leftovers, so I could keep eating this dish.
Of course, I had to try making Moroccan bread, so we decided to make khobz. It is a fluffier and larger version of pita. We made a delicious Moroccan-style hummus that went nicely with bread and also the couscous and the tagine. The cayenne pepper and the coriander gave the hummus a great bite to it that differentiated it from other hummus recipes I’ve tried.
The Entertainment
The first movie we thought of set in Morocco was, of course, Casablanca. It had been a long time since I’ve seen it, and I was curious to revisit this classic. It is a World War II movie made during World War II, and I haven’t seen very many of those. Casablanca is a lot darker than I remembered, but I am grateful that I had the chance to revisit this classic. In fact, the day after we watched it, a TV show I watched made a Casablanca reference, which reminded me of the cultural impact of the film.
We found a list of movies that are about Morocco, but we had a hard time finding them streaming or for rent. (If you are able to find them, let me know! They sound great.)
We ended up watching Aladdin because you can meet Aladdin and Jasmine at the Morocco Pavillion in EPCOT. I am aware that Agrabah is not supposed to be in Morocco, but there isn’t a bad time to watch Aladdin. I was very pleased to note that Disney+ has added a racism warning to the beginning of the film. It is important to acknowledge the problematic elements even of nostalgic favorites.
We only have two more EPCOT pavillions to go, and we are excited for our upcoming Germany and China themed weekends.
Bubbling up with Helena 