What is a tagine?

A tagine is both a cooking vessel and a finished dish. The cooking vessel is cone
shaped with a design so that the flavors in the dish can be infused throughout. The
tagine as a finished dish can be chicken, lamb, fish, or vegetable. It is cooked
slowly in the container which bears its name in a process which is a combination
of simmering and steaming. Often it is highly flavored with pungent olives,
distinctly flavored preserved lemons, and the spice mix ras el hanout. At their best
the tagine should balance the flavors of sweet, salty, savory, and spicy.