What a delight to have discovered a genuine Morocco eatery Zerza in New York’s East Village, where they prepare authentic North African/Moroccan cuisine in the traditional way. The accomplished cook, an older lady, wears a djellaba, traditional Moroccan garb. The atmosphere is casual, and although the interior is dimly lit, it did not detract from my feeling of wanting to linger.
On my memorable visit there, Zerza’s owner, Radwan told me that this kind of food cannot be found in most other restaurants because the dishes are slowly and tenderly prepared by the women of the house who are used to gathering in the kitchen to assemble the meals for their families. In Moroccan culture it takes time to cook dishes perfectly. Zerza’s menu offers an array of wonderful selections from appetizers to main dishes, a variety of tagines, and desserts.
Moroccans are known for their masterful use of spices, including a mixture called Ras el Hanout, “the head of a shop.” This mixture usually contains the best spices the seller has to offer. Spices typically include cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ground chili peppers, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, peppercorn, and turmeric but can be as many as one hundred different kinds. What a cook might use depends on the dish to be cooked. The cuisine also represents Mediterranean influences—from Spain during its Moorish occupation to the trade routes through the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
On my memorable visit there, Zerza’s owner, Radwan told me that this kind of food cannot be found in most other restaurants because the dishes are slowly and tenderly prepared by the women of the house who are used to gathering in the kitchen to assemble the meals for their families. In Moroccan culture it takes time to cook dishes perfectly. Zerza’s menu offers an array of wonderful selections from appetizers to main dishes, a variety of tagines, and desserts.
Moroccans are known for their masterful use of spices, including a mixture called Ras el Hanout, “the head of a shop.” This mixture usually contains the best spices the seller has to offer. Spices typically include cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ground chili peppers, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, peppercorn, and turmeric but can be as many as one hundred different kinds. What a cook might use depends on the dish to be cooked. The cuisine also represents Mediterranean influences—from Spain during its Moorish occupation to the trade routes through the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
