In Morocco, there is a proverb, “Here, you eat with your eyes.”

Walking early one morning in the ancient souk of Fez, one can keenly understand this. The air — even at this hour — is thick with the smell of cumin and roasting meats, but it is the visual assault that is the most staggering.

Everywhere one looks, there is color. Fat purple aubergines so dark they look bruised, piles of stark white garlic, bundles of bright carrots just pulled from the earth.

Next to the carrots is an old, stooped man selling cloudy jars of preserved lemon. Behind him, a woman with hennaed hands and feet and a tattooed face is selling her goods.

She offers bags of dried lavender, sacks of deep crimson and purple rose petals and tube after glass tube of khol in deep blue, green and lavender. The palette — purple, green, red, orange — is so strong, so intense that the stalls resemble a Gauguin still life.

A region of contrasts

North Africa is a region of contrasts. One passes from a desert of sand to a desert of stones — and from a lush oasis to a moonscape. One moves from a sun-kissed seashore to snowy mountains — and from a medieval village to a 21st century megalopolis where a camel waits patiently for his master in front of a cyber café.

There is a certain quality to the light here, which combines with the tactile sensuality of the land. The Maghreb is compelling and yet disturbing in its beauty. The smells, the tastes, the textures and the colors are more potent than an opiate.

Each of the three countries that make up the Maghreb — Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia — has its own particular style and flavor of cooking. Although the three tables are different, they share many common recipes inspired by shared influences and traditions.

Three styles of cooking

Herbs and spices are essential to all Middle Eastern cooking — and in the Maghreb they are paramount. The love and reverence that is paid to spices comes from the region’s history. Boxes and jars of mysterious, colorful powder were first brought by Phoenicians and were treasured like gold.

To this day, each spice merchant has his own tricks and recipes and knows which substance will get rid of the evil eye, cure a headache — or increase fertility.

The Maghreb is a rich place. The land is fertile and the growing capacity is vast. The food shows the influences of all the different peoples who, at one time or another, have settled here: African, Islamic, Arab, Berber, Ottoman, French, Italian and Spanish.

Spice merchants' tricks

The cuisine of North Africa offers a sensual feast. It presents an abundance of colors, perfumes and flavors. In this land, there are as many couscous as villages, as many tagines as vegetable gardens, as many desserts as orchards — and as many recipes, jealously guarded, as families.

This cuisine has power. It has the ability to stimulate as well as to satisfy your appetite. It has the ability to enchant, captivate and, even more amazingly, it has the precious ability to heal. It reflects the people of North Africa.

North African cuisine is a generous one, and the nature of the people of the Maghreb is demonstrated in the love, generosity and hospitality offered to friends, parents and guests.

About Mourad Mazouz

Algerian-born Mourad Mazouz is passionate about North African food and cooking. He has created several phenomenally successful Moroccan restaurants, including Momo and Momo Restaurant Familial in London and 404 and Andy Wahloo in Paris. He is also one of the owners of the fashionable Club Gascon.

In 1999, he opened the Mo Tearoom and Bazaar in London, which acts as both a bazaar selling North African artefacts and as a traditional tearoom selling kemia (North African tapas), pastries and shishas (hookah pipes).

In 2003, Mourad Mazouz launched Momo at Selfridges, which includes Momo restaurant, selling a mixture of modern and eclectic dishes, Tearoom, Smoking Tent and Boutique.