Moroccan Cooking

Category: File - :???????.jpg|thumb|200px|An array of Moroccan pastries

Moroccan cuisine is a very diverse cuisine, with many influences, due to the interaction of Morocco with the outside world for centuries. The cuisine of Morocco is a mix of Berber, Moorish, Mediterranean, Arab, and African influences. The cooks in the royal kitchens of Fez, Meknes, Marrakesh, Rabat and Tetouan refined Moroccan cuisine over the centuries and created the basis for what is known as Moroccan cuisine today.

Mimouna ( ) is a colorful traditional North African Jewish celebration held the day after Passover. It marks the start of spring and the return to eating chametz, i.e., leavened bread and bread by-products, which are forbidden throughout the week of Passover. Some believe the source of the name is Maimon, the father of the Rambam, Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, and the Mimouna marks the date of his birth or death.Mimouna - A Jewish-Moroccan Festival in Israel

In Israel, the Mimouna has become a popular annual happening featuring outdoor parties, picnics and BBQs. After settling in Israel, Jewish immigrants from North Africa celebrated the Mimouna with their families. In 1966, it was introduced as a national holiday, and has been adopted by other ethnic groups, mainly in the Mizrahi sector.http://www.jafi.org.il/education/festivls/pesach/mimouna.html The Jewish Agency for Israel - Explanation of Mimouna

The celebration begins after nightfall on the last day of Passover. Moroccan and Algerian Jews throw open their homes to visitors, after setting out a lavish spread of traditional holiday cakes and sweetmeats. One of the holiday favorites is Mofletta. The table is also laid with various symbols of luck and fertility, with an emphasis on the number "5," such as 5 pieces of gold jewelry or 5 beans arranged on a leaf of pastry.[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/846374.html Yigal Bin-Nun, "Lady Luck" (in Ha'aretz)] Retrieved 2009-10-17

Over the last few decades, the Mimouna has become a public relations tool for Israeli politicians, who use it as an opportunity to mingle with the masses and drum up public support.