pyramids-of-spices Photo

Photographer’s Note

Morocco has many spices for sale, exhibited in colourful piles. Prices are good same as quality.

Moroccan cuisine is rich in spices, only natural when you consider the ages-old spice trade from Arabia to North Africa. Spices here are used to enhance, not mask, the flavor of food. The following spices are among the most commonly used.

cinnamon
found in bisteeya, couscous and many desserts

cumin
ground cumin is among the most flavorful spices used and is common in meats, lamb and chicken

turmeric
always found in harira soup, a rich, hearty soup which is the evening meal during Ramadan

ginger
found in many tagines (stews)

cayenne
popular in the dishes of southern Morocco

paprika
usually in tomato dishes and vegetable tagines

anise seed
found in breads and cookies

sesame seed
used in breads, desserts and as a garnish for savory dishes saffron

black pepper

Spices found with less frequency in Moroccan cuisine include allspice, caraway, cloves, coriander seeds and licorice. Ras el hanout is a mixture of many spices (often 20 to 30) which is used to flavor dishes as well.

mezz, PixelTerror, quetzal, cobraphil8, berseph, pastadog has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mezz (249) 2006-02-24 4:27

interesting picture, well spotted.
I wonder if they have to "destroy" the pyramids if a customer wants to buy some spices?

PixelTerror (81500) 2006-02-24 4:32

Ciao & Salaam Daniela,
Very evocative from Morocco these spices, I liked them much too while there but stupid me I didn't take pictures, i was too busy buying them. From a photographer's point of view it is very nice to see how they have shaped them in pyramids, nice shot of the gourmet's Atlas ;-)
Have a nice day,
jean-Yves

quetzal (3467) 2006-02-24 4:36

Bonjour Daniela,
Les pyramides d'épices sont très vues. Le contraste des couleurs avec le fond est excellent : très bonne composition.
C'est une photo vraiment originale. Bravo pour la note.
Amicalement
Jean-Louis

olli (2091) 2006-02-24 7:01

Great repetition of triangle shape. Beautiful colors. Very well seen and composed image – bravo.

terrysio (711) 2006-02-24 9:12

Salut Daniela,
C'est une très belle photo originale du Maroc. La couleur et la forme des montagnes d'épices sont très jolies et bien capté par ta caméra. Félicitations.

berseph (1758) 2006-02-28 2:15

I like this picture a lot. Nice framing of the shot, and I like the texture in the mountains. I also like the contrast of the oranges and browns against the bluish backdrop. Nicley captured.

pastadog (12093) 2006-02-28 17:29

Daniela, well seen, excellent original photo with repetition in shape and color (with nice slight variations) - and after your Indian soup pic and this one I hope you have more "gastronomic" shots; thanks and bravo! Daniel

Angshu (30896) 2006-02-28 22:54

Hello Daniela,
Lovely colours, lovely shapes & a very informative note. Coming from a spice country myself, I do appreciate your photo that much more
Regards
Angshu

Stepan (27163) 2006-03-01 14:36

Funny perspective. The light and the sharpness are very well managed.
Very graphic.
Stéphane

venne (2747) 2006-03-02 13:16

J'aime beaucoup ces couleurs, les marchands adorent faire des monticules. Bien vu pour la photo, bonne netteté.
JL.

bnallama (3745) 2006-03-13 16:29

Very intersting well spotted photo! Bala

Edu71 (119) 2006-03-20 18:45

I like the graphic perspective of the spices. The dull background with oval and round shapes of the baskets creates great contrast and the colours and shapes stand out brilliantly. Well, and it seems you've become an expert in spices. Great pic!
Eduardo

Theana (623) 2006-04-13 5:01

Being a spice lover myself I think this is a very nice and colourful shot. Any idea how the vendors make those pyramids? I think it makes their product look very attractive - so a good idea in order to sell more (hopefully). Thanks also for the informative note and keep posting such shots.