Mechoui is a North African lamb dish with various regional preparations. It is roasted over fire, either on a spit or in the ground, and heavily spiced. Traditionally, a whole lamb is used, including organ meats. Mechoui is often served as an appetizer and eaten with bare hands.
Mechoui is a North African lamb dish that is often prepared in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Each nation has its own specific approach to mechoui, so several dishes are collectively referred to as “mechoui”. Either way, this dish takes advantage of the flavorful tenderness of the lamb to create a rich and memorable dish.
This term comes from an Arabic word meaning “to roast over a fire”, distinguishing mechoui from dishes that are prepared in the oven. There are two basic ways to prepare mechoui. In places like Algeria, lamb is roasted on a spit, creating a crispy crackling layer of skin that many people find quite delicious. In Morocco, lamb is roasted in the ground, much like a Polynesian pork roast, creating very moist, tender, and flavorful meat. In both cases, the meat is heavily spiced before preparation.
Traditional mechoui uses a whole lamb, roasted in its skin. This means that the organ meats are cooked alongside the lamb, giving the meat its distinct flavour, and some Berber tribes have traditionally treated the grain-filled intestines as a delicacy, much like Scottish haggis. Some precious organs such as the liver and kidneys are typically offered to an honored guest, along with delicacies such as the eye.
Most people eat mechoui with their bare hands, using only their right hand, traditionally. This reflects a Muslim tradition of using the left hand for personal hygiene, rather than eating. Mechoui is often served as an appetizer before the rest of the meal, and as you can imagine, the dish is designed to be served in a crowd.
In parts of the African desert, mechoui is a traditional festive dish, prepared in a Moroccan-style pit. A big advantage to making mechoui with a whole lamb is that the dish is easy to transport in a hurry if needed, since the skin essentially acts like a carrying bag. This has no doubt been useful historically, when tribes might need the advantage of being able to move quickly.
Many North African restaurants offer mechoui. Some prepare it whole, the traditional way, while others simply use traditional North African spices on lamb roasts such as leg of lamb. Good mechoui is often heavily spiced, with lots of garlic, making for an intense and very flavorful experience.
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