Moroccan olives are my favorite olives in the world. When we travel to Morocco, I gobble them down. And even when we're in France, I seek out the Moroccan olive sellers in Orange or Marseille -- those spicy Moroccan olives go so incredibly well with French bread and cheese.
The first thing you notice about Morocco when you fly into the country is that olive trees are everywhere. The ubiquity of olive trees reminds me of Greece. But unlike Greece, Moroccan olives are more likely destined for eating, not olive oil.
Moroccan olives seem to come in infinite varieties. Green, red and black olives are each transformed into different kinds based on curing method and the addition of herbs and spices.
And they're often used an an ingredient in cooking, such as tagines.
The truth is that my favorite kind of olive is a very common one: Moroccan green cracked spiced olives, which have their pits still in them, and flavored with spicy peppers, garlic, coriander, cumin, lemon juice and olive oil. They're super spicy and flavorful, and I just love them with bread and cheese.
(Of course, for our upcoming The Morocco Gastronomad Experience, we'll be tasting olives in Berber tagines, markets, restaurants and olive farms.)