Spices were first brought to Morocco by the Arabs ,who were ideally placed route between east and west to become the middlemen to this fierecely contested trade.Other spices came with the caravans trading across the Sahara from Senegal.
Spices were used in Europe to enloven the porridges ,and often to disguise the nature of meat which was frequently heavily salted and less than fresh .Moroccan court chiefs ,like those in Europe and the near East ,experimented with the use of spices in their cuisine,reworking native dishes,as well as introducing dishes from the kitchens of Persia.The result was a magnificiently fragrant array of dishes that were at their most elaborate court banquets but also adapted in tagines ,couscous and sweet dishes of the poeple.
Marrakech Guide Azim 