The new Lonely Planet pocketbook series on world food is, just as the book cover states, for "people who live to eat, drink and travel". Considering how important food is for many travellers, such a series is long overdue.
World Food: Morocco is filled with tips on and explanations of not only what to eat (it goes far beyond couscous) but how to eat with appropriate decorum when the utensils consist of two fingers on the right hand. While most tourists won't have an invitation to a family meal, the menu tips and extensive glossary of terms and pronunciations will be helpful, if only to learn how to say "not too spicy, please" in a restaurant.
Author Catherine Hanger, an Australian journalist and photographer, offers insight into the key elements of Moroccan food and legendary hospitality. "Sacred law states that visitors must be shown a suitable welcome, which means that they are offered the best possible food"--meaning that an extra serving is always prepared for guests, expected or not. Sections on meat, salads, pastries, herbs and spices are concise and well-written. The glossaries and chapter on food shopping would be as helpful in preparing a Moroccan meal in London as enjoying a meal on the road to Casablanca. The book includes only 10 recipes (including a definitive couscous recipe) so while it won't satisfy the serious cook it will whet the appetite.--Kathleen Buckley