The Food Emporium Offers 'A Taste of Morocco'

A&P gourmet banner The Food Emporium is dishing up “A Taste of Morocco” at 16 locations across Manhattan. Starting Friday, Oct. 29, the chain will present more than 20 new and exclusive Moroccan food items in addition to a selection of functional and decorative housewares.

During the two-week culinary event, the following items will be available exclusively at The Food Emporium:

• Dari Moroccan Couscous, typically cooked in broth or stock and topped with a stew of meat, chicken or vegetables.
• Société Impériale des Thés Moroccan Mint Tea, flavored with spearmint leaves and sugar and enjoyed daily by many Moroccans.
• Cartier Preserved Lemons, essential to many Moroccan recipes, and imparting a salty, distinctive citrus flavor to traditional dishes.
• Aicha Jams & Pastes, including Double Concentrated Tomato Paste, and such flavorful jams as Strawberry, Fig, Apricot, Peach, Orange and Sweet Potato.
• Moroccan gourmet harissa, a smooth, almost buttery paste made from Moroccan soft red piri piri peppers, hot chili, garlic, olive oil, salt and spices and traditionally served with such dishes as couscous.

Other featured food products include Phenicia Argan Oil: Argan oil produced from the kernels of the argan tree, which is grown only in Morocco, and Mustapha’s Caperberries, Non-Pareil Capers and Medium Capers, along with Aicha Wild Caperberries and Tiny Capers.

Among the offered housewares are the Moroccan Safi Tagine, a traditional clay cooker with a conical top designed to promote the return of condensation to the bottom of the container keeping food moist, and Verre Zwin Perfumed Scented Candles or Bougies Perfumed Scented Candles, both available in Neroli, Oriental Rose or Epice scents, as well as ceramic vases, bowls, serving trays, a selection of teapots and glasses, candle holders, and signature Moroccan leather poufs, which are sitting stools available in a variety of bright colors.

To mark the event, The Food Emporium will host a special ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 4 at its BridgeMarket store at 59th Street and First Avenue. Attractions will include authentic Moroccan music and dancers, along with cuisine prepared by chefs Sam Talbot and Abdellah Ksiyer using many of the products spotlighted in the promotion.

A Taste of Morocco is part of the chain's “Taste of the World” program, which was introduced in 2008 to bring attention to specialty foods and beverages from around the globe.

Montvale, N.J.-based A&P operates 428 stores in eight states and the District of Columbia under the following banners: A&P, Waldbaum’s, Pathmark, Best Cellars, The Food Emporium, Super Foodmart, SuperFresh and Food Basics.

The current promotion is co-sponsored by Maroc Export, a Casablanca-based entity affiliated with the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Trade and which is in charge of marketing Moroccan products abroad.