Moroccan food, your questions answered

A tagine is both — the shallow clay pot with a tall conical lid, and the slow-cooked stew of meat or vegetables braised inside it. Moroccans use the one word for either. The cone traps rising steam and drips it back down, so food braises in its own juices with almost no added water.

Not in the chilli-hot sense. Moroccan food is heavily spiced — cumin, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, paprika — but very rarely hot. The flavours are warm, sweet and aromatic. When heat is wanted, it comes from harissa served on the side rather than cooked into the dish, so you control it yourself.

Yes. Morocco is a Muslim country, so food is halal by default: there's no pork in mainstream cooking, meat is slaughtered according to Islamic (halal) practice, and alcohol isn't used in traditional dishes. You can eat freely almost everywhere without asking. Pork and alcohol are only found in a minority of tourist-oriented and licensed venues.

Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice blend of anywhere from 10 to 30-plus spices. There's no single recipe, but a typical mix includes cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, mace, cloves, allspice, turmeric, paprika, dried rose or lavender and chilli. The name means 'head of the shop' — the merchant's best blend.

Generally yes, if you use common sense. Choose busy stalls with high turnover, eat food that's freshly cooked and served piping hot, favour vegetarian and grilled items, be cautious with pre-cut fruit, unpasteurised dairy and tap-water ice, and wash or sanitise your hands. Millions eat Marrakech street food happily; most upsets come from water and hygiene, not the food itself.