Morocco's Culture

CUISINE
Unlike some places in the world, lunch is there main big meal. For lunch there is usually meat, bread, salad-the salad can be hot or cold-, stew, vegetables, maybe another main dish, and they end with mint tea. It is common for many to use their hands and bread as silver ware. In a lot of their food they use many spices. One of the most common things to eat there is couscous. Couscous is basically pasta that is shaped and sized by rice. When it is served it is often served with vegetables and meat. Most of the time they use beef as the meat, but they would like to use lamb. Unfortunately lamb is a lot more expensive, so most people just use beef. There is one month of the year when lunch is not their biggest meal. It is the month (the Islamic calendar) of Ramadan. Ramadan is an Islamic holiday, where Muslims celebrate the making of the first verses of the Qur’an. The Qur’an for Muslims is kind of like the Bible for Christians. During this month lunch is not the biggest meal, because they fast when the sun is up. During Ramadan, most restaurants are closed during sunlight hours. Most people eat suhoor, a meal before the sun rises, then, when the sun has set they end with a meal called iftar.

MOROCCAN FAIRY TALES
If you were growing up in Morocco, a fairy tale you might hear would be called the bachelor and the bean. The bachelor and the bean us a story about an old bachelor, who buys beans for a snack, and loses his last one by accidentally dropping it in a well. He started yelling all around because he was so upset that he lost his bean. A little “imp” or mischievous fairy came out of the well, and gave the bachelor a magic pot that would keep him occupied and quiet. The magic pot will make any food you tell it to. His neighbor, a grumpy old lady, wants the magic pot, so she steals it. When he runs into the old lady, he thinks she is not a very good person, but realizes that she is perfect for him, because she as just as bad as he is. They get married, and live the rest of their lives together, but they are always arguing. Another tale you might hear is about a girl who was blind, most likely because of her father’s wrong doings. She was always sitting in her garden, and was sad about being blind. One day she hears someone singing lovely music outside the garden, so she asks her father if he can let the singer come in and sing to her. Her father agrees, so the singer, a young man, comes into the garden. He sings songs about mercy, and then the girls eyes open up, and she is no longer blind. After what the young man has done, it is a rule that she must marry him. At first she feels this will be a problem, but when she sees the man, she falls in love with him, and they get married. The couple lives happily ever after.

ARTS
Literature- writing essays and poems is popular to do in Morocco. The same way scientists in America use the metric system for scientific research, Moroccans usually write in French for scientific research. Non-research literature is most often written in Arabic and French. Recently, Morocco has really started to produce a lot of painting, sculptures, music, theater, and movies. There are many art and music festivals in Morocco. Moroccan music often includes instruments such as the flute, drum, and zither. A zither is the stringed instrument you see in the picture. The Master Musicians of Jajouka are popular to listen to. Some of the music popular with teenagers is Moroccan music mixed with rock and reggae.

Watch the Master Musicians of Jajouka:

Go to the video under the map of Morocco, to the side of the blog...