Moroccan food is frequently confounded with Middle Eastern food, but these two cuisines are different from each other. Let's talk about the ingredients or the essential ingredients used in Moroccan cuisine and what makes them different from other cuisine. Moroccan foods are interesting, scrumptious and delightful because they have this distinct taste and smell. Moroccan foods are also colorful which makes them really tempting.

Moroccan meals usually start with hot or cold salad which usually consists of beans, beets and carrots drizzled with lemon juice. Some Moroccan salads have chopped cucumber, olives and tomatoes. Zaalouk is one of the popular Moroccan cold salads it has crushed tomatoes and eggplant with spices and garlic.

For the main meal or entrée, Moroccan dishes are usually cooked and served in Tajine or Tagine, a dome shaped container made of clay. They believe that Tajine maintains the food's moisture, aroma and flavor. They usually cook beef, lamb, chicken and vegetables in Tajines.

Here are some of the common ingredients of Moroccan cuisine:

1. Couscous – these are hand rolled granules made from semolina or durum wheat. Couscous is usually steamed with vegetables. Its texture is almost the same with pasta.
2. There are four basic spices used for cooking meat and vegetables in Tajine and for cooking stews too. These are: salt, pepper, ginger and turmeric.
3. Here are some of the essential spices that you will encounter in Moroccan cuisine. These are also the spices that make them unique. These are: saffron, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and white pepper.
4. Lastly, "Ras El Hanout" consists of ground spices like nutmeg, anise, cinnamon, ginger, peppers, cardamom and turmeric.

Moroccan foods are healthy and light because it is loaded with vegetable and natural spices. They even eat fruits for dessert and they have this famous Moroccan Tea which is healthy, refreshing and tasty. Moroccan foods are rich in flavor and it has this distinct taste and tempting aroma. I am pretty sure that you're going to make your friends and family drool. These are just some of the reasons why people want to learn how to cook or prepare Moroccan foods.

So if you want to try something different and something healthy, try to prepare some luscious Moroccan meal for you and your family. I am pretty sure that they will like it because it is different, it is healthy and it is really tempting. Everybody will drool from its aroma.

Anyway, now that you know the basics and the essential ingredients and spices that you will encounter in preparing Moroccan foods, I think you are ready to make some and impress your friends and family with your new culinary knowledge.