Mouthwatering Moroccan Cuisine

Morocco's mouthwatering cuisine has a depth of flavor resulting from ancient influences from Andalusian Spain, Arabia, Asia and France.

It's alive with subtle spices and mouthwatering flavor combinations. Imagine fresh, sour green olives paired with preserved lemons, stirred into a tagine of tender chicken; or a tender  pigeon meat pie dusted with cinnamon and icing; or sardines flash broiled coated with a combination of coriander, parsley, cumin and a hint of chili. Every meal is an experience! 

So here are some traditional Moroccan delicacies to look out for when you're traveling this majestic kingdom:

B’ssara

This rich soup of dried fava beans is traditionally served in Northern Morocco for breakfast, topped with a swirl of olive oil, a sprinkling of cumin and paprika, with fresh bread out of the oven. 

Hot soup for breakfast? Absolutely! It's a "fava"lis way to start the day!

Fresh Seafood

Fresh seafood is a staple in Morocco, due to the extensive coastline along the Mediterranean and Atlantic. A highlight of any trip would be to walk the piers of Essouira, purchase sardines fresh off the boat and bring them right to a local restaurant and have them salt-bake the sardines for you. MWA! What perfection! 

There is a wide variety of seafood dishes that you can enjoy anywhere in Morocco, and you can be assured of the highest quality, freshest fish in the world. Think tagine, couscous, stews, bastilla, crab and lobster, etc. When in port towns, make it a priority to find a good guide who can lead you directly to the best seafood restaurants in town. 

Harira

Harira is a perhaps the most common staple of the Moroccan diet. During the holy month of Ramadan, the fast is broken at sunset each day with a steaming bowl of this delicious soup that is rich with tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas (sometimes lamb, sometimes vegetarian), and finished off with a squeeze of lemon juice and some chopped coriander, and served with a sticky sweet pretzel called chebakkiya. 

Couscous

Couscous, perhaps the most familiar of Moroccan dishes, is a fine wheat pasta traditionally rolled by hand and double steamed. When served, the meat is covered by a pyramid of couscous and the vegetables are pressed into the sides and the sauce is served separately. 

It's often garnished with a sweet raisin preserve, or in the Berber tradition, a bowl of buttermilk. 

Royal Couscous is a kind of "kitchen sink" version that has everything and anything the chef wants to add, with several different meats in addition to all the vegetables they can fit. 

B’stilla

This very special pie, served as a main course for special events, represents the pinnacle of exquisite Fassi (from Fez) cuisine. Layers of a paper-thin pastry wrap around a blend of pigeon, chicken, seafood or other meat, mixed with almonds and eggs spiced with saffron, cinnamon and fresh coriander. The savory pie is then dusted with sugar and cinnamon. It is delicious and unforgettable! It takes many hours to make, and is usually quite expensive, but well worth it. 

Tagine

A tagine is both a meal and a kind of pottery. The meal is cooked and served in the tagine pot. 

On your Moroccan journey, you'll find an infinite assortment of roadside "tagineries" where you can stop and have a bite for lunch You'll be able to choose from an assortment of beef, chicken or lamb cooked in a tomato and onion sauce with garlic, fresh coriander and parsley.  It is served with pan bread and mint tea. 

Mint Tea

Mint tea is the quintessential element of Moroccan hospitality. It will be rare that you enter a home or hotel and are not offered the opportunity to sit down immediately for a cup of this delicious refreshment, otherwise known as "Moroccan Whiskey." It is a tea ceremony to rival tea ceremonies, and has been a part of Moroccan tradition for hundreds and hundreds of years. 

Mint tea is prepared with fresh mint, Chinese Gunpowder tea, and sugar. It is steeped, then poured out, and poured back in, until the taste has reached perfection. If you don't consume sugar, you can ask for no sugar and it will be provided. 

On your journey, you will enjoy many cups of Moroccan Hospitality!

Marrakesh Voyage offers cooking classes as a part of our customized, private journies. Whether you're interested in a solo class or a whole tour of cooking classes, we can provide you with the ultimate experience for your budget.

Marrakesh Voyage is a Morocco ground tour operator specialized in FIT and exotic escorted trips throughout the mystical Kingdom of Morocco, representing Guests and Tour Operators from all around the Globe. Our headquarters are in New York, and we have offices all over Morocco.

We will help you design and customize the trip of a life time according to your interest, passions, and desire for you, your guests and for your company.

 

 

 

10 Reasons to Make Morocco a Travel Priority

Morocco is the gateway between Africa and Europe, ancient history and modern luxury. Journeying through it's geography, history and culture with the right tour company can be an experience of continual delights, creating a fantastic memory that will stay with you for the rest of your life. 

Here are ten fabulous reasons to put Morocco at the top of your trip list: 

1. Ancient History

Morocco is home to the Berbers, a civilization that is said to have inhabited Morocco (and North Africa) for at least 7,000 years. That ancient history is visible everywhere you travel, mixed with Arab influences from the past 1,000 years in the architecture, the hospitality, and the very simplicity of life. When you travel through the Atlas mountains, the Sahara Desert, and the ancient cities, you become a part of that incredible history.

2. Vibrant Culture
The arts are flourishing in Morocco! There are art, music, film, and writing festivals all over the country as well as traditional celebrations honoring harvests, marriages and historical events. Make sure to include a festival in your trip!

3. World Class Cuisine
Food is a very important part of life in Morocco; even the poorest Moroccans eat well. Although there are some corporate farms, most food is grown very traditionally, and organically, and great care is given to the presentation of meals. Fez is considered an epicurian capital of the world. In addition to the delectable traditional dishes of Tagine, Couscous, Bastilla and the like, there are also excellent fusions with French and Asian food.

If cooking is your thing, make sure to spend a night or two at Kasbah Omar in the High Atlas Mountains where cooking classes are offered to all guests.

4. Elegant Accommodations

Whether you're backpacking through Morocco or traveling 5star+, you will be enchanted with the beauty of Morocco's hotels, riads and B&Bs. Few people realize that the hacienda-style family dwelling comes from Arab culture, in which it was developed to keep out the heat of the desert in the summer, and stay warm in the winters. These dwellings are blank/nondescript from the outside, but sumptuous and peaceful inside. A riad is one of these buildings that has been beautifully converted into a B&B with a limited number of guest rooms. It is highly recommended that you stay at least one night in a riad to experience the beauty.

5. Gracious, Educated Hosts
When you travel with a well-respected tour company in Morocco you will have a highly educated guide at your side who speaks your language well. This guide will make sure you are comfortable, safe, will be able to give you context for every part of your journey.

6. Excellent Nightlife
Morocco has some of the largest and most famous nightclubs in all of Africa, especially in Marrakesh which has become a playground for Europe's elite. There are also excellent cultural fetes, such as the Fantasia in Marrakesh where you can dine like a Pasha while traditional musicians, dancers and Jannisaries perform all around you. Whatever your desire, it can be found in Marrakesh!

7. World Heritage Sites
Morocco boasts TWELVE world heritage sites, including the cities of Fez, Rabat and Marrakesh. You must include a visit to the Jemma El Fna square in Marrakesh, an ancient trading post and the largest most active square in all of Africa. Full of snake charmers, acrobats, tricksters and healers by day, it turns into an open air mall of restaurants at night where you can dine on sheep brains, escargot, or tripe soup if you're an adventurous eater, or sandwiches, couscous and tagines if not. Also, load up on delicious figs, dates and nuts at the merchant stalls around the square all day and night long, and the fresh orange juice is a fantastic pick-me-up after a day of exploration!

8. The Sahara Desert

There might not be anything in the world as wonderful as traveling by camel train into the desert evening to be met by a family of Berber nomads who cook you a fabulous dinner (including bread baked in the sand) and play drums, deep into the vast starry night. The endless sky wraps itself around the tall, undulating dunes, and as you sleep the silence fills you with vivid dreams.

9. 1,100+ Miles of Diverse Coastline
Bordering both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Morocco offers tremendous variety for aquatic fun. World class boating, swimming, fishing, and surfing are available from Tan-Tan to Tetouan. And of course, the seafood is extraordinary.

10. World Class Shopping
The Jemma El Fna is the entrance to the famous Souk of Marrakesh, an endless maze of shops where you can purchase anything your heart desires. The artisans of the souk are in a forever-battle of creating the most intricate, delightful, colorful items for you to purchase and take home.... whether it's shoes, scarves, pocketbooks, tea sets, jewelry, clothing, lamps, carpets etc etc etc. Shopping in the souk is a singular experience and can be very fun, especially if you love to haggle, but there are also fabulous shopping experiences all over Morocco. Don't be shy to stop at any roadside vendor to see what wonders they may have for you, whether its walnuts or crystals or tagines.

Marrakesh Voyage LLC offers private, chauffeured journeys for our clients. With over 25 years of experience, your excellent journey is our pleasure and our pride. We'll work with whatever dates you have available to build a trip to Morocco that you'll remember for the rest of your days! We can arrange everything you need for groups, corporate trips, and special events.