Marrakech cuisine and restaurants

On a recent visit to my favourite city Marrakech, as ever my gastric apprehension was as overwhelming as my excitement. To feel such affection for a place yet be horrified by its cuisine is a tough one, a bit like Greece in the 80s when we couldn’t resist its beaches but by God had we all had enough of its moussaka and stuffed vine leaves.

For all of Marrakech’s magic and mystique, its madcap medina with doorways down alleys leading into other worlds; its main square amok with monkeys and musicians, sorcerers and their child apprentices; its palm-strewn outskirts sprinkled with sheep and mud-fashioned stately homes, years of experience had made me dread the unbearable bloatedness and weight gain that went hand in hand with any visit.

But things have changed I was told by my ex-pat friend as I unpacked the packets of Rennies and gallon of Gaviscon from my washbag. Marrakech isn’t all about arterial obstruction and couscous-fuelled coronaries anymore. I’m going to show you.

And indeed she did. So for anyone visiting the city eager to avoid tagine tedium and over-eating, here are my insider tips for dining experiences that are fresh, authentic and alternative:

Dar Moha takes the heavy out of Moroccan and turns it haute. Swiss-trained head chef Moha has cleverly adapted traditional dishes into digestible delights including tiny melt-in-the-mouth pastilla (sweet pigeon pie) filled with a vegetable purée, and strawberries wrapped in wafer-thin pastry and rolled in ground almonds. Best enjoyed at one of the tables beside the small sparkling pool. £40*

Dar Moha Restaurant, Marrakech

Tatchibana offers miso in the Maghreb: authentic Japanese in the heart of Marrakech. Sushi, sashimi, maki and teriyaki are painstakingly prepared by chef Yuki Yamauchi and served by his wife in traditional costume. Not to mention more unusual offerings, such as duck slivers in green-tea ravioli. £20*

Catanzaro is unfussy but fabulous, Alpine-style Italian, with tiramisu to die for. Permanently packed to the rafters, it has been run by the same curiously calm, exceptionally efficient couple for decades. There are generous steaks with serious sauces, excellent wood-fired pizzas and magnificent mash dishes on request for those Britons hankering for home comforts. £20*

The Djemaa el Fna isn’t a restaurant, but a gourmet experience: a de rigeur degustation in Marrakech’s central square is snails on skewers with sausages and salad. Visitors balance on benches, banter with stall-keepers and mop up paper plates with hunks of bread. £5-£10*

Narwama is Marrakech’s only Thai restaurant. Located within a UNESCO World Heritage riad, it offers a heady mix of hookahs and heritage amid ochre walls. Indulge in a green curry in coconut milk with chicken and sweet basil, then focus on the fountain of flames and water between deep drags of apple shisha. £25*

*All prices are approximate and per head, and do not include drinks.

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Moroccan Culinary Tour – why and what to expect

Morocco, like many parts of the world, has a cuisine that is unique to the region. Their food is highly colourful, tasty and not too spicy. Due to their unique cuisine, this makes travel to Morocco for food lovers incredibly popular.

One of the most popular regions of Morocco is Marrakech, famous for its marketplace where almost anything you could possibly desire can be found, and then bartered for in traditional Moroccan style. The famous markets of Morocco are also where you can buy your ingredients and spices to make Moroccan dishes.

A culinary tour of Morocco allows you to spend a great holiday in Morocco sampling food from each and every region, and each region has its own specialities. A culinary tour also allows you the unique opportunity to cook Moroccan food yourself, under the tutorship of the chef, and then to put your skills into practice when you get back home for that taste of Morocco at home.

When you travel to Morocco you’ll be able to spend your time staying on one of the authentic riads. Riads are traditional houses in Morocco, and have the unique feature of an interior garden. The most traditional riads also feature a fountain in the interior garden. Travel to Morocco for an experience and memories you will treasure forever.

If you’re craving for some Moroccan cuisines before your dream holiday to Morocco, why not try making some yourself at home?! Following are some great Moroccan recipes we have found for you, enjoy!

Soup & Entrée

1. Harira – Lamb and Lentil soup, AKA. the national soup of Morocco
2. Ksra – Moroccan flat bread
3. Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash
4. Moroccan Zaalouk Recipe – Eggplant and Tomato Cooked Salad
5. Taktouka – Moroccan Cooked Tomato and Green Pepper Salad
6. Chakchuka – Grilled Pepper & Tomato Salad
7. Moroccan Fish Bastila
8. Maakouda Batata – Moroccan Potato Cakes Recipe
9. Tabbouleh traditional Moroccan salad
10. Briouat el – Moroccan Savoury Pastries

Main

1. Tagines – Moroccan stew featuring meat simmered with vegetables
2. Aubergine, chick pea and potato balti
3. Kefta – Moroccan Meatballs
4. Kseksu Bidawi – Couscous with seven vegetables
5. Chicken stew
6. Mrouzia – A sweet dish of lamb with raisins, almonds and honey
7. Mezgaldi of Onions – Caramelized Onions
8. Makfoul – Lamb Tagine
9. Briwates dial djaj – Pastry stuffed with spicy chicken
10. Mechoui – Spiced Roast Lamb
11. Moroccan Spiced Sea Bass Ceviche
12. Marrakesh Vegetable Curry
13. B’stilla – Chicken Pie
14. Moroccan Shephard’s Pie
15. Kefta magawara – meatball tagine
16. Boulfaf – Liver kebab
17. Merguez – spicy lamb sausage
18. Hut B’noua – Red Snapper With Almond Paste
19. Djej bil Einab – Chicken with grapes
20. Mezze – Moroccan Tapas

Desserts

1. Ghribas – Peanut Cookies
2. Apricot Couscous
3. Sfenj Beignets – Sweet Moroccan Doughnut Recipe
4. Bechkito – Moroccan Butter Cookies
5. Fekkas – Spice Cookies
6. Moroccan Sellou Recipe – Sweet Made from Ground Almonds, Sesame and Flour
7. Harost Balls – Dessert sweets made of dates, raisins and nuts; traditionally a part of the passover feast in Morocco
8. Halwa Shebakia – Moroccan Sesame Cookies
9. Amlou – Almond Spread
10. M’hanncha or The Snake – Moroccan Almond Pastries

Drinks:

1. Mint Tea
2. Qahwah – Coffee with spices
3. Asseer Rumman – Pomegranate Juice
4. Almond Milk
5. Sharbat – Apple Milk Drink

Gnaoua bout this?

Essaouira’s hypnotic Gnaoua and World Music Festival takes place from 25-28 June this year. Celebrating Gnaoua heritage, the music has influences as widespread as Haitian voodoo and Brazilian Candomblé. As trance music permeates the picturesque port, its purple ramparts and whitewashed medina, Essaouira’s bustling streets slow down, and become eerie and evocative. Held across ten medina stages, the free festival is a meeting point for foreign artists and a melting-pot of worldwide rhythms. Stay at the Heure Bleue, a Relais et Chateaux riad, and you can snooze to the beat of distant drums from its rooftop pool. A four-night stay costs from £1,190 pp (two sharing) during the festival, including flights (Gatwick), private transfers and B&B. Call The Best of Morocco on 0845 026 4588.

10 Local Customs to Know Before You Visit Morocco

Holidaymakers are fleeing the Euro-zone for better deals to destinations like Morocco. But before you travel to another continent, it’s best that you go prepared and familarise yourself with the local customs. Here we’ve compiled a Top 10 list courtesy of Moroccan travel experts, The Best of Morocco, to help you ease into the Moroccan way of life.

1. Tipping

Tipping is part of everyday life in Morocco. You may think it’s only done by tourists, but it’s not! The locals do it to show their appreciation for good service. In Morocco, you tip just about everyone, the drivers, concierge, waiters, and the list goes on. Even when you dine in restaurants with a 12% gratuity and service charge to your bill, a tip is still expected.

2. Ramadan

Like any other Muslim country, during the Islamic month of fasting, participating Muslims does not eat or drink from dawn until sunset. Ramadan hardly affects tourists in major cities, there is only a slight change to shop opening hours. Food and drink is still available throughout daylight hours in hotel and tourist restaurants. However, as a matter of respect, you should not walk in the streets eating or drinking and if you are in a shop, you should try not to smoke.

3. No Lefties

On the dinner table that is. To experience a true Moroccan meal, you should try eating with your hands. But like other Muslim countries, you should always eat with the right hand, as the left is supposed to be used for the toilet.

4. Bargaining Power

When shopping in markets, the price you’re told is almost never the final price as sellers expect you to bargain. It is wise to bargain from half of the offer price, and take it from there. Eventually you’ll meet at a price you’re both happy with.
Here’s an example of “Haggling in Action”, a video of tourists buying shoes at a market in Marrakech.

5. Photo Opp

When taking photos of locals, it’s best to ask for permission first. Moroccans are generous and passionate people, but that’s not necessarily the case when strangers go snapping away with their cameras. In tourist places you may be required to tip them for a good pose at the camera.

6. Dress Code

There aren’t really any restrictions for women to dress in shorts or tank tops during the summer, as the locals are pretty used to it with many tourists visiting Morocco each year. However, when you enter a mosque, or any other holy place, you should dress conservatively out of respect, meaning cover your shoulders and pants over your knees. The same applies for male travellers also.

7. Got the Stomach for It?

Morocco is considered to be one of the few places in Africa that has the safest and cleanest drinking water distribution, but it is not advised for travellers to drink from the tap. Water in Morocco contains higher levels of minerals than water in Europe. The locals are used to absorb high-mineralized water, but travellers may fall ill from drinking it. It’s nothing major, just a case of an upset stomach, but that’s enough to spoil a holiday!

8. Shoes off

When invited to someone’s home for an authentic Moroccan meal, remember to leave your shoes by the door. As a custom, Moroccans do not wear outside shoes in their homes, or on their fabulous rugs.

9. Meet and Greet

Greetings are important in Morocco, as they often shake hands, right hand of course, and ask how each other and their family are doing. A cursory greeting is considered rude and offensive.

10. Eat Like a Pig

Nothing displays true Moroccan hospitality better than a good meal. When invited to a meal, prepare to be stunned by the variety and portion of the meals served. Be prepared to feast on couscous and kebabs whilst in Morocco. For pork lovers, it is difficult, though not impossible, to obtain pork dishes in restaurants, so beef, lamb and seafood are often the only available alternatives.

Customer-chosen Top 5′s in Morocco

When every riad, relais or resort hotel looks sumptuous, every unusual spa treatment sounds heavenly, every maison d’hôtes feels more alluring than the last, every pool’s seductive, every restaurant’s romantic, how do you ever make a decision? Trawling through TripAdvisor, and being besieged by poxy pop-ups and countless crappy banner ads, is one way. But who really cares what Gloria from Gushville, Tennessee, thought of the place anyway, or indeed that the colour of the suite’s loo paper didn’t meet her curious tastes? And why does she use capital letters ALL THE TIME and sooooo many exclamation marks??!!!!!!!

The Value of Vox Populi

To help more easily sort the wheat from the, well, wheat, The Best of Morocco have introduced ‘Top Five’ guides, where the lists are compiled based on client feedback, and updated weekly. The list includes Top Five riads, hotels, destinations, pools, restaurants and things that are currently proving most popular with the independent travellers.

“Now you don’t have to just take our word on Morocco – you can see what our customers say, too. In this age of endless information and hollow homages, such a reliable helping hand in shortlisting your options is very welcome.”, explained by Steve Diederich, the Managing Director of The Best of Morocco.

The Best of Morocco, offers the most comprehensive Morocco programme you will find in the country. Tailor-made packages offers great flexibility and is designed to work to your budget. The array of activities includes camel treks, walking treks, Land Rover safaris, skiing, surfing, horse-riding, golf, birdwatching, quad-biking and cooking.

For further information or to find out which riad’s currently top of the accommodation pops, visit The Best of Morocco website.

U2 Inspired by Magnificent Fez

The video for U2’s latest single, Magnificent, sees the band recording and wandering around ancient Fez, Morocco’s most charismatic, colourful and temporally untampered town. There’s footage of the riad-turned studio where U2, together with legendary producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, wrote and recorded much of their new album, No Line on the Horizon, and then scenes of Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry strolling the labyrinthine medina of Fez-el-Bali, a still-unmapped, scented underworld of 10,000 alleys and small markets in various quarters where donkeys wobble by with toppling loads, children run through your legs and healers sell cures for everything from haemorrhoids to a broken heart.

This isn’t the first time the supergroup have set up camp in the Imperial City – the video for 1992’s Mysterious Ways was set there. Fez’ magical lure evidently remains just as strong: one song on their latest album is called Fez – Being Born. Said Bono about this latest stay: “We’d record during the day and then disappear into windy streets of the medina at night. It was an inspiring experience”.

If the video tempts you to visit Fez, make sure you travel with specialists The Best of Morocco. Confirmed U2 fans, the company’s staff are also Fez experts, able to recommend the best guides (you’ll need one to navigate the maze), the best leather shops in the tanneries, the best medersas (beautiful university buildings) to pause in, the best restaurants and hookah coffee houses to slumber in, and the best times for excursions to Meknes, which U2’s video briefly visits, and to the Roman remains at Volubilis.

They can also suggest the best accommodation, such as the Dar Anebar: a traditional riad much like the one featured in U2’s video, only without the huge amps, Irish musicians and piled-up carpets. Set around a trickling fountain and ornate courtyard, this homely riad boasts a roof terrace, unintrusive service, fine food, and numerous nooks and crannies.

The start of U2’s stay in Fez purposefully coincided with the Festival of Sacred Music, with the band hoping to be inspired by the spiritual music on show from around the globe. They later claimed the plan had worked. For those interested in similar musical genesis, the Festival is this year held between 29 May and 6 June.

A four-night stay in Fez at the Dar Anebar costs £610 pp in June, including flights (Gatwick), private transfers and B&B. During the Festival, the same package costs £625 pp. Call The Best of Morocco on 0845 026 4588 (www.realmorocco.com).

Vineyards in Morocco

Morocco may be a Muslim country, one subject to Islam’s strict prohibition of alcohol consumption, but it’s also open-minded (placing its emphasis on personal choice) and incredibly green. So, in the undulating hills of Meknes in northern Morocco, acre upon acre of vineyards flourish under extremely favourable weather conditions. Producing the equivalent of 35 million bottles last year, local wine ‘appellations’, such as those in France, and Morocco’s first self-styled “Chateau”, are now in existence.

The specialist tour operator, Best of Morocco, can arrange visits to the vineyards to observe production and to sample the wines, using the nearby city of Fes as a base.

A four-night stay in Fes, where the Medina (old city) has barely altered in 200 years, costs from £800 pp staying at Dar Anebar, a sumptuous riad with a rooftop terrace and large suites. (It is not unusual here to find the owner, Ahmed, in a niche, teaching a guest to play the lute, or inviting guests into the kitchen to either join in or watch the preparation of the meals. He has even been known to take a mule up to the nearby city gates to greet newly arriving guests and to carry their bags.) The cost includes return flights from London, accommodation with breakfast, and private transfers. Vineyard visits cost extra.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Morocco

2009 is the year for a frugal lifestyle, so everyone says, and I’m sure you’ve read story after story about how the weak Pound is affecting value-for-money holidays in the Euro-zone. So, why not travel to Morocco?  But wait a minute that’s surely going to cost more, isn’t it…

Well, actually the Pound is still going strong against the Moroccan Dirham.  Flights from major UK airports take around 3.5 hours – the same time it can take to travel to Turkey or Greece.

Here are ten things you didn’t know about Morocco, which could inspire you to visit this exciting destination.

1. Watch Shooting Stars

The night of August 12th to 13th is the culminating point of a meteor shower with rates of over one hundred meteors per hour. You can find many luxury hotels in the High Atlas Mountains or the Sahara desert where light pollution won’t spoil visibility. SaharaSky hotel in Zagora has its very own astronomical observatory!

Sahara Sky - Hotel and Astronomical Observatory in Zagora

2. Moroccan Grand Canyon

The Dades Valley of Morocco offers the same peace and tranquility you will find in the Grand Canyon.  Stretched between the peaks of the High Atlas Mountains and Jbel Sarhro Mountains, Dades Valley offers a spectacular view of a snowy mountain on one side and a semi-desert on the other.

3. Goats can climb trees in Morocco

In south-west Morocco, you can frequently find goats climbing trees – an unusual photo opportunity! The goats eat the fruit from the argan tree and spit out the pits. The locals collect these pits to extract the bitter kernels inside, which are ground and pressed to make nutty argan oil used in cooking and cosmetics.

4. A hint of Santorini, Greece – in Essaouira

It is easy to mistake Essaouira’s white and blue seafront for Santorini in Greece. Once one of the most prosperous cities in Morocco, it is now home to craftsmen busy making marquetry, traditional Moroccan ornamental furniture from the roots of the thuya tree. Only two hours’ drive from Marrakech, it’s a stunning place for a short break on the Atlantic coast.

Essaouira, Morocco

5. You Can Ski in Morocco

Morocco is probably the only place in the world where you can see snow, desert and sea in one trip.  Between January and February you can ski or snowboard in Oukaimeden up in the High Atlas Mountains. If you’re looking for an alternative ski holiday look no further than Morocco.

6. Luxury in the Sahara Desert

What could be more romantic than watching the sun rise over the Sahara desert? This doesn’t have to be a backpacker’s experience! You can travel in comfort from your hotel in Erfoud or Merzouga and spend the night in your own luxury tent in the desert with carpets, beds and hot showers.

Sahara Desert, Morocco

7. Visit UNESCO Heritage Sites

Morocco is an ideal destination for a cultural holiday.  Apart from the prevalent Islamic presence, you can find traces of diverse cultures, including Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine and many others.  Many of these are UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as the Roman Ruins in Volubilis, one of the best preserved historic sites in Morocco.

8. Surfing All Year Round

With 3,000km of coastline, Morocco is an ideal surfing destination. Surfing classes for adults and children are available all year round.  But if you are a seasoned surfer and looking for a challenge then the best time for you is from late autumn to March.  There are many unexplored areas to surf south of Agadir and you may find yourself to be the only person out on the waves.

9. “The Gladiator” Was Shot in Morocco

Walk in the footsteps of Angelina, Colin Farrell, Sir Anthony Hopkins and many more Hollywood stars who have filmed in Morocco.  Re-live the infamous battle scenes from Russell Crowe’s Gladiator or imagine you’re Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia.  You can even take a guided tour of the film studios at Ouarzazate.

10. Step Back in Time in The Blue City

Chefchaouen, a picturesque little town in the Rif Mountains in the north of Morocco, was closed off to the outside world until the 1920s and has remained unspoilt ever since.  Breathe in mountain air and stroll through the meandering streets of this charming and friendly town.

Chefchaouen, Morocco

For more information on what to see and do in Morocco, visit The Best of Morocco, the specialist tour operator with over 30 years experience in luxury holidays to Morocco.