Moroccan Cuisine Gains Popularity in France: Couscous and Tagine Lead the Trend

The Pastilla, an emblematic festive dish from the city of Fès, made of a pigeon filling with herbs and almonds, wrapped in a very thin puff pastry and delicately dusted with cinnamon, argan oil, Moroccan bread, Moroccan tea, couscous, tagine... Moroccan gastronomy is present in French culinary culture, in high-end restaurants as well as in supermarket aisles.

What about Moroccan cooking recipes? "There are at least 400 varieties of tagines, more than 60 varieties of couscous, and for this heritage to live on, it is essential to rediscover the cuisine, to save the disappeared recipes, and to try to preserve those that are at risk of disappearing," says Fatéma Hal, the manager of the Mansouria, a historic Moroccan restaurant located in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, in an interview with France 5 which aired on Tuesday, April 19, an investigation into the true roots of Moroccan gastronomy.

However, the quality of Moroccan dishes is often called into question. Camille Dorioz, campaign manager for the NGO Foodwatch, looks at the ingredients of an ultra-sweet carrot salad and declares: "This is a highly processed product, I almost want to say, to be avoided." Another deviation: Ras el hanout, a blend of 27 spices, is sometimes the victim of fraud. Industrialists are being pointed out. In supermarkets or gourmet grocery stores, this spice blend is sold for between 7 and 80 euros per kilo. "Checks are difficult to carry out, fraud is relatively easy and allows prices to be lowered significantly," says Christophe Brusset, former spice negotiator.