Tajine Lham-Lahlou — Morocco

Tajine lham lahlou, meaning "sweet meat", describes a Moroccan dish that braises meat, most often lamb or beef, with prunes in a syrup sweetened with sugar or honey and scented with orange blossom water. It belongs to a family of sweet-savoury tagines built around dried fruit and meat cooked slowly together. It is reported in Morocco as a dish for festive meals, brought to the table for Eid celebrations, weddings and other family gatherings rather than everyday cooking. The same preparation, under the same name, is also found in Algeria, where it more often shifts toward the starter or dessert course of the meal. Lamb or beef is browned, then braised slowly with prunes and often apricots in a syrup of sugar or honey, water and orange blossom water, until the meat falls easily from the bone and the fruit has absorbed the spiced liquid. Almonds are fried separately in butter until golden and scattered over the top with raisins, and a dusting of cinnamon finishes the dish. What marks the Moroccan version is its place as a main course at the centre of the table rather than a side note to the meal: served in the tagine dish it was cooked in, with the fried almonds kept whole and visible on top as a mark of a festive occasion, alongside bread rather than a separate dessert.