關於摩洛哥的有趣事實(2)

One of the most popular exports from Morocco is their world-famous dates. They export more than 90,000 tons of them each year to locations around the globe. Dates have played an important part in Moroccan cuisine for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests the cultivation of dates all the way back in 6,000 BC in Arabia. The date palm was a major source of life for thousands of people throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa and is said to have provided people with thousands of different uses including thread, mattresses, lumber, rope, and many other household and dietary uses. Dates are also very important in Islam with the date palm regarded as the "tree of life" as mentioned in the Story of Genesis and also eaten to ceremoniously break fast during Ramadan.

摩洛哥最受歡迎的出口產品之一是該國舉世聞名的棗子。摩洛哥每年向全球各地出口超過9萬噸棗子。數千年來，棗子在摩洛哥美食中發揮着重要作用。考古證據表明，公元前6000年，阿拉伯半島就有人種植棗樹。棗樹是許多中東人和北非人的主要生活來源，據說，它有上千種不同的用途，可以做成線、牀墊、木材、繩子，還有許多家庭和飲食方面的其他用途。棗子在伊斯蘭教中也是很重要的，《創 世紀》中曾提到，棗樹被視爲“生命之樹”，而且在齋月期間，人們還會在正式的開齋儀式上吃棗子。

In the Valley of Roses, local legend states that pilgrims returning from Mecca brought with them the "Mother of all flowers," the Damascus rose, initiating the rose industry in Morocco. In 1912, French parfumiers realized that the Vallee des Roses would be an ideal place to mass cultivate the bushy Rosa centifolia. Today, there are hundreds of kilometers of rose bush hedges and two factories in the valley, distilling rose essence.

玫瑰谷當地的傳說是這樣寫的：從麥加朝聖歸來的人帶來了“萬花之母”大馬士革玫瑰，由此開創了摩洛哥的玫瑰產業。1912年法國的花匠們意識到，玫瑰谷將是大規模密集種植千葉薔薇（摩洛哥玫瑰）的理想之地。如今這裏有數百公里長的玫瑰灌木樹籬，山谷裏還有兩家提煉玫瑰精華的工廠。

Morocco is one of the world's largest producers of illicit hashish. One of the major sources of income for families in Morocco's Northern Rif region is cannabis (marijuana) cultivation. In fact, the word "reefer" derives from the word rif. The cannabis, known in Arabic as kif, is then processed and sold as hashish.

摩洛哥是世界上最大的非法大麻麻醉劑的生產國之一。生活在摩洛哥北部裏弗（Rif）地區的家庭，其主要收入來源之一就是種植大麻。事實上，“reefer”（大麻香菸）這個詞來源於rif這個詞。在阿拉伯語中，大麻又被稱爲kif。然後，大麻被加工成大麻製劑並出售。

Moroccan Berber women still have tattoos in geometric designs on their faces, sometimes covering much of their forehead, cheeks, and necks. These are marks of tribal identification and date from a time when it was necessary to be able to spot women of one's tribe who had been carried off in raids.

摩洛哥柏柏爾族女性的臉上仍然有幾何圖案的文身，有時這種文身會覆蓋她們的前額、臉頰和脖子的大部分。這些是部落身份的標誌，它可追溯至需要能認出在突襲中被擄走的部落女性的時代。

White is the color of mourning in Morocco. A Moroccan widow wears white for 40 days after the death of her husband.

摩洛哥的喪服是白色的。一名摩洛哥寡婦在其丈夫死後的40天裏都要穿白色的衣服。

Dubbed Moroccan, or Berber, "whiskey," tea has become the national drink of Morocco. It was introduced to Morocco in 1854 when blockaded British merchants unloaded large quantities of tea at major Moroccan ports, The a la Menthe (Green Mint Tea) is Chinese green tea brewed with a handful of mint leaves and liberally loaded up with sugar.

茶已成爲摩洛哥的國民飲品，它又被稱爲摩洛哥或柏柏爾“威士忌”。茶於1854年被引入摩洛哥，當時被困住的英國商人在摩洛哥的主要港口拋售了大量茶葉。The a la Menthe（綠薄荷茶）是用少量薄荷葉沏成的中國綠茶，還會加很多糖。

Couscous is said to be the national dish of Morocco. It is prepared weekly in many Moroccan homes and the presentation pictured here, couscous with seven vegetables, is one of the most popular versions. Lamb, beef or chicken is stewed along with a variety of vegetables then arranged on a glorious heap of tender, steamed couscous grains. As with many other Moroccan dishes, everyone gathers round to eat from one super-sized communal plate.

據說，蒸粗麥粉是摩洛哥的國菜。在許多摩洛哥家庭裏，每週都要做這道菜，圖中所示的是最受歡迎的版本之一：七菜蒸粗麥粉。把羊肉、牛肉或雞肉與各種蔬菜燉在一起，然後放在鮮美的蒸粗麥粉上。就像其他許多種摩洛哥菜一樣，所有人聚在一起共享一個超大的盤子上的美食。

A visit to Morocco without sampling at least one tagine would be a crime. The word tagine refers to both the conical-shaped dish and the steaming food that's cooked inside it – usually a blend of tasty sweet and savoury flavours. With each region offering a different take on the recipe, you'll find anything from a kefta tagine, olive tagine, vegetable tagine and of course, the ever-popular lemon and chicken tagine is a must. A tagine every damn day? Yes. Yes. And more yes!

如果你去了摩洛哥卻沒有嘗一下塔吉鍋燉菜，那就太令人遺憾了。“Tagine”這個詞既指圓錐形的鍋，也指在其中蒸熟的食物——通常是香甜可口的美味。每個地區都有不同的菜譜，你會發現各種塔吉鍋燉菜，有肉丸、橄欖、蔬菜，當然一定有備受歡迎的檸檬和雞肉。每天都吃塔吉鍋燉菜嗎？是的。我很確定！

Forget about your fave smashed avo and eggs at your local cafe – berber omelette might just change your life. Served and cooked in a tagine, this little guy will make you one happy traveller. Infused with every spice under the sun, tomatoes and mixed veg, this is a true winner.

忘掉你在當地咖啡館吃到的碎雞蛋吧——柏柏爾蛋餅可能會改變你的生活。這道菜是用塔吉鍋烹飪並盛放的，這道小吃會讓你成爲一個快樂的旅行者。加入各種曬好的香料、西紅柿和混合蔬菜就更美味了。

The name of Jemaa el Fna, the vast market square in Marrakech, Morocco, literally means "assembly of the dead" and may refer to the traditional display of the heads of criminals executed there until the 19th century.

摩洛哥馬拉喀什市有一個巨大的集市廣場。這個廣場的名字是Jemaa el Fna，字面意思就是“亡者集會”，這可能是因爲19世紀之前通常會在這裏擺放被處決的罪犯的頭顱。

The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca is the world's seventh largest mosque and took five years of intensive labor by over 30,000 workers and craftsman to complete in 1993. The mosque's minaret at 689 feet (210 m) high is the world's tallest, and it is Casablanca's chief landmark. In terms of covered area, the Hassan II Mosque is the largest in the world and has space for 80,000 worshippers.

位於卡薩布蘭卡的哈桑二世清真寺是世界第七大清真寺，它是由3萬多名工人和工匠經過5年時間的努力，最終於1993年建成的。這座清真寺的尖塔是世界上最高的，高達689英尺（210米），它也是卡薩布蘭卡最重要的地標。就佔地面積而言，哈桑二世清真寺是世界上最大的清真寺，可容納8萬名朝拜者。