Mechoui from an earth pit

Variations

• In the Zemmour country the whole lamb cooks in a pit sealed with clay, with cardoon leaves and herbs such as thyme, bay and rosemary.²
• Mechoui sbayhi or makhzani turns on a spit over the embers, whole or in quarters.³
• In the neighbourhood oven the lamb cooks whole or halved lengthways on a tray, brushed with butter or smen and seasoned with plenty of saffron and cumin.⁴
• Mechoui arassi is cooked twice: first in a copper pot with pepper, cinnamon sticks, saffron, coriander and parsley, mace, cardamom and plenty of butter or smen, then in the oven or under the embers until crisp.⁵
• For stuffed mechoui the lamb is boned and filled with minced meat, offal, couscous grain, vermicelli, rice or vegetables.⁶
• Ktaf mbakhar, also called mechoui fi l’kaskas, is shoulder of lamb steamed in the couscoussier with herbs, spices, plenty of onions, garlic and cumin.⁷
• Chouakdar, a speciality of Fez, works the other way round: the pieces cook first in the oven, then in a tagine or pot with spices, butter, smen, saffron and plenty of fried onions.⁸