Welcome back! From our adventures last week in Spain we travel across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco.
I love Moroccan food, but I have to admit that it doesn't make it to my table very often. Perhaps I feel intimidated by the slow process of cooking a proper Tagine, I'm not sure. I do know that after experimenting this week with their interesting combinations of sweet and savoury I'll be making an effort to learn more about Moroccan cooking.
Moroccan breakfast centres on sweet flavours ("hurray", says my Lucky Charms-loving sweet tooth), and usually consists of an assortment of breads served with various spreads. For the sake of time (and to make sure we eat breakfast before the sun goes back down) I decided to focus on Beghrir served with Amlou, Honey-Butter, and Orange Marmalade.
Beghrir are similar to pancakes with a few small distinct differences. Instead of baking powder, yeast is used as a leavening agent which results in the thousands of small holes Beghrir is famous for. Another difference is that the batter uses semolina flour in addition to a small amount of conventional all purpose flour and is only cooked on one side. The result is a light, tender flatbread that is a cross between a crepe and a pancake. The thousands of tiny holes are perfect for catching the flavour of whatever you put on it.
Amlou is a traditional Moroccan spread made with almonds, argan oil, and honey - sort of a delicious sister to peanut butter. My family can attest to my love of peanut butter, so it wasn't shocking that I loved Amlou. Honey and almonds are a great combo that should be enjoyed together more often. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any argan oil in time for this week's breakfast (I did notice it not even one day later at the amazing Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws) but olive oil served as a suitable substitute.
I also whipped up a delicious Honey-Butter spread (really just some microwaved butter with honey) which I've been enjoying ever since this breakfast on all manner of fruits and vegetables.
And finally, I purchased some Seville Orange Marmalade at our local grocery store. The authenticity of the orange marmalade I wasn't too sure about, but jams are popular with Beghrir and oranges are popular in Morocco, so I decided to put two and two together and give it a shot.
When it came to how it all paired together, I have to say that the Beghrir really shone the most with just the drizzled Honey-Butter. The semolina lent them an interesting whole wheat flavour that deserved to be noticed outside of the decadent Amlou. (not that I would omit the Amlou entirely)
The Verdict:
For Ease of Preparation:
The Beghrir themselves were simple to prepare, but it was time-consuming to create both Beghrir and Amlou from scratch.
These were delicious and would be great fun to eat with guests.
For Sustainability:
For Sustainability:
The protein from the almonds added a little extra energy that lasted well until lunch.
Overall Appeal:
Beghrir were definitely fun and Amlou may make it into my regular rotation. But we're hankering for something a little bit more outside the box. So join us next week as we tackle India!
I always looked for places where I could get Beghrir when I was in Morocco cause it reminded me so much of crepes/pancakes. I'd usually have it with loads of honey poured all over it and then they'd wrap it up in some paper, put it in a plastic bag, and oh so good! It was super messy most of the time though... honey always seemed to get all over when I would have it. Maybe you could add a rating criterion - 'for ease of eating on the way to work/on the go' ;)
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