Morocco's age-old winter tradition of serving warm, comforting dishes like hssoua and rice with milk continues to reflect recipes found in 13th-century Moroccan and Andalusian cookbooks. These medieval texts reveal that dishes still common today, made from simple ingredients such as flour, bread crumbs, milk, and honey, were already staples of Almohad cuisine centuries ago. As temperatures drop, food in Morocco becomes heartier and more comforting. The tradition of eating hot soups or porridge-like dishes for dinner during winter goes back centuries. In the oldest surviving cooking manuscripts of Moroccan cuisine, recipes for these comforting dishes feature prominently. Though their ingredients and methods may have evolved, their essence remains visible in today's Moroccan winter menu. Yabiladi explored these recipes through two of the earliest and most enduring 13th-century culinary sources from Morocco and Al-Andalus: Kitāb al-Ṭabīkh fī al-Maghrib wa al-Andalus fī ʽAṣr al-Muwaḥḥidīn (The Book of Cooking in the Maghreb and Al-Andalus in the Era of the Almohads), by an anonymous author, and Fiḍālat al-Jiwān fī Ṭayyibāt al-Ṭaʿām wa-l-Alwān (The Excellence of the Table in the Goodness of Food and Colors), written by the Murcia-born scholar Ibn Razīn al-Tujībī, which documents Almohad cuisine across the Maghreb and Al-Andalus. Hssoua: A Centuries-Old Staple In every Moroccan household, hssoua is a winter staple, often served almost daily. In some families, it is also a must-have early breakfast. Simple, nourishing, and easy to prepare, it typically consists of only a few ingredients: water, flour of any kind, and basic seasonings. The dish traces back to 13th-century Morocco and Al-Andalus, appearing in Fiḍālat al-Jiwān under a chapter dedicated to soups. Among its several varieties is one made from wheat flour. The medieval recipe goes as follows: Take a clean pot and fill it with water and a pinch of salt, then place it over the fire. «Take wheat flour, put it in a bowl, and mix it with water, stirring with a spoon until it dissolves completely, and no lumps remain», writes Ibn Razīn. Once the water begins to boil, the dissolved flour is poured in gradually while stirring to prevent sticking. The stirring continues until the mixture «thickens to the consistency of a light porridge». The author then instructs to «remove the pot from the fire and let it settle slightly before pouring it into a serving bowl». Optional additions include pieces of toasted bread, crumbled over the porridge, and a final drizzle of oil, a version still prepared by Moroccan mothers today. Hssoua with Bread Crumbs A second version of hssoua is made with bread crumbs instead of flour. The 13th-century manuscript describes it as follows: A pot filled with enough water and a bit of oil. «Tie in a clean cloth a mixture containing ginger, a stick of cinnamon, a grain of mastic, and a small piece of onion, then cover the pot», reads the recipe. Next, bread crumbs made from semolina or dardash (coarse wheat flour) are kneaded little by little until soft and fine, then sifted through a clay sieve or fine strainer. When the water begins to boil, the spice bundle is removed, and the bread crumbs are added. Once cooked, the pot is removed from the heat. The author adds: «Beat an egg in a small bowl until the white and yolk are blended, then pour it into the porridge while stirring until it thickens and comes together smoothly». The soup is served warm with a drizzle of cinnamon on top. For those who wish to enhance the flavor, fresh coriander or mint stems can be lightly crushed, and their juice added to the porridge. Others enrich it with milk, anise, or butter at the start of cooking. Rice and Milk: Sweet Comfort Across Centuries Another essential winter comfort mentioned in both Moroccan and Andalusian sources is rice with milk, a soft, filling, and gently sweet mixture. One early recipe begins simply: «Take some rice and soak it for a full day or overnight. Then boil it until it is cooked through». It can be cooked either with water or with fresh milk. Add to it four or five pounds of pure honey foam, and cook gently over low heat until it thickens and blends with the milk, forming a smooth paste, reads the 13th century recipe. Rice and Milk porridge is served warm, with a small hollow made at its center to hold a spoonful of soft butter. Powdered sugar and cinnamon were sprinkled on top, an elegant touch still found in Moroccan kitchens today. Another version, titled «Preparing Rice with Milk», provides detailed instructions: the rice is washed several times with hot water «until the water runs clear», then cooked with strained sheep's milk, considered the best for this recipe, though cow or goat milk may be used. The proportions were generous: six pounds of milk for every pound of rice. The mixture simmered slowly until thickened, seasoned with salt, and finished with honey or sugar. The medieval authors also mention savory variations: the dish could be cooked with meat, chicken, or lamb using water instead of milk, then enriched with butter or ghee before serving. When prepared sweet, it was said to «aid digestion and strengthen the body».
