North African

This vibrant, aromatic Moroccan spice blend makes an excellent addition to lamb burgers or roasted chicken.

Since this exotic dish has a very flavorful sauce, serve it with couscous or rice.

Called om Ali, which means "mother of Ali," this slightly sticky and unusual dessert flavored with orange flower water is currently the most popular pudding in Egypt. In the villages it is made with bread, while in the cities a more sophisticated version is made with phyllo pastry. Orange flower water is a flavoring extract available at liquor stores and in the liquor or specialty foods section of some supermarkets nationwide.

Literally "top of the shop," ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice blend that can contain more than 20 ingredients. This streamlined version includes the main spices of the traditional mixture.

This soup hails from Morocco.

The inspiration for this recipe came from a tea sandwich one of our food editors discovered at Alice's Tea Cup, in Manhattan. It's surprisingly substantial — a bit like an overstuffed deli sandwich, but not nearly as heavy.

Chermoula Chermoula is a traditional North African marinade for fish, especially in Morocco where, surprisingly, it's often used with shad. It has become very popular recently with North American restaurant chefs as a quick and easy (and cheap!) way to add lots of flavor to bland fish. Many old-fashioned recipes don't call for cilantro and parsley at all, but the fresh flavor of the green herbs adds a great deal to the preparation. Instead of shad, which is hard to find even when it's in season, and very difficult to bone, I use salmon steaks or fillets. You could substitute many other kinds of fish, including swordfish, halibut, haddock, and even fresh-water fish, such as catfish and perch.

These rolls are based loosely on b'stilla — a phyllo-crusted "pie" of shredded chicken that's been simmered with Moroccan spices and then mixed with egg and nuts. The egg lends the filling an almost custard-like richness.

This recipe is just one of the countless ways to use preserved lemons.

These flavors and aromas transport me to Marrakesh, where our friend Latif, son of the late imam of the great mosque there, guided us through the bustling and mysterious spice markets. Here's how I've recaptured the memory: a boned leg of lamb is stuffed with intensely flavored dried apricots, high in beta-carotene and potassium, then rubbed with aromatic cumin. Buy your cumin from a Middle Eastern market or spice store for the most flavorful results.

This thick, spicy sauce is typically used in Moroccan dishes. Use it as an accompaniment for Shrimp Phyllo Purses with Tomato Chermoula Sauce.

Pairing citrus fruit with olives is a time-honored Moroccan tradition. While most versions of this salad call for oranges, tangerines make a sweet substitute.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr This recipe, which accompanied our 1954 article on Tunisia, called for what were then two very exotic ingredients. One, the granular pasta called couscous, is now commonplace in supermarkets across America. The other, dried rose petals, is available by mail order.

This recipe for breiks comes from Kitty Morse, the celebrated expert on North African cuisine. She serves them with lemon and harissa paste, available at Middle Eastern Markets.

Preserved lemons, sold ready-made in Moroccan souks, are essential to that country's cuisine. The peel, pulp, and juice squeezed from the lemons can all be used. Sometimes, however, the juice and preserving brine, can be bitter; use fresh lemon juice in that case.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Moroccan Lamb Kebabs.

We've substituted Cornish game hens (which are much easier to find) for the squab used at Gary Danko in San Francisco. At the restaurant, the squab is stuffed with a mixed-grain pilaf. We suggest serving this with couscous or rice pilaf.

(Adapted from The Keeper's House) Charmoula is a Moroccan fish marinade traditionally made with tomatoes, lemon, paprika, garlic, cumin, and cilantro.

This recipe is an accompaniment for <epi:recipe link="" id="107089">Cinnamon-Roasted Chicken with Harissa Sauce</epi:recipe>.