Kefta mkaouara (Moroccan meatball and egg tagine)
Morocco: Mosaic of Nationalities, Climate, and Cuisine
There is an exotic land—a confusion of geography, climate, and nationality. Although geographically situated on the African continent, its ties to Islam link it indirectly to the Middle East. But then Europe enters into the scene. At the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain is a mere nine miles away. Kissed by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, this is a land of beaches but also a gateway to the Sahara Desert.
This land is Morocco, a beautiful paradise that everyone wanted to claim as their own. There were invaders—century upon century of invaders. From present-day Lebanon came the Phoenicians, followed by the Carthaginians of Tunis. Of course, the Romans entered the scene (146 B.C.) and held fast for more than 200 years. Berbers swept in next, removing the last of Roman authority in 429 A.D. Fast-forward little more than 300 years later and the Arabs descended as well, using their position to launch attacks on Spain. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain invaded; pirate raids became commonplace.