First Time Traveller’s Guide to Morocco

Morocco, located in North Africa, is a very densely populated country with around 32 million inhabitants.

Morocco is a popular destination for holiday makers because of its warm weather, historical architecture and bustling market places. Anyone visiting the city of Marrakech will enjoy shopping in the markets, where haggling is not only allowed, it’s expected. A holiday in Morocco isn’t complete without a tour to the markets.

You should also be prepared for the weather in Morocco as it can get very hot and the country is prone to the occasional drought, which is far removed from the weather here in the UK.

When staying in Morocco, you have a choice of different types of properties, but you should always try to stay in one of the many riads. Riads are traditional Moroccan buildings that feature indoor gardens, often with waterfalls.

Communication in Morocco shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the experienced traveller as French is one of the most spoken languages in the country. A strong grasp of the French language will come in handy when you’re haggling in those markets!

Travel to Morocco is never complete without sampling the local cuisine. Moroccan cuisine is very distinctive, with many spices used in all of their food.

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

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.

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.