Eating Your Way Through Morocco

1. Eating Your Way Through Morocco I recently went on my first group trip; my chosen destination was none other than magical Morocco. Why do you ask me Morocco? I've always wanted to travel to this North African country for a very specific reason ... the food. While living in Brussels, I had many Moroccan friends who often served me amazing traditional dishes, and since then it has become one of my goals to travel to the country. When you think of Moroccan cuisine, you automatically think of couscous, right? It is right…. But there is much more than that! Your Moroccan breakfast I must admit that I was a bit disappointed in the breakfast at first. When I go on vacation, one of the most exciting parts of my day is breakfast, long and varied buffet breakfasts that basically consist of eating for hours. In Morocco, breakfast is quite simple, and even in hotels you will not find buffet breakfast. Instead, you get bread and Msemmen, the traditional Moroccan multi- layered pancake, served with butter, jam, cream cheese, coffee, milk or tea, and orange juice. In some places you will also taste grilled or baked eggs accompanied by very salty black olives. Before we move onto the next point you need to know about the Marrakech Concierge. A London based company, we have over 10 years of experience arranging tailor-made bespoke holidays. We specialize in Marrakech’s nightlife and luxury lifestyle sector. From the airport on, we aim to make you feel first class all the way. Our fast-track services help you skip airport queues. Our drivers are professional, knowledgeable and can escort you to all parties and events. During the day you can lounge poolside in your 5-star villa or at one of our partner beaches clubs. Visit us on www.marrakechconcierge.co.uk for more info. Moroccan appetizers Salads are an important part of the gastronomic experience in Morocco. At lunch you will find a selection of salads that can be both raw and cooked. The first consists of finely chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green pepper, and coriander. Cooked salads like zaalouk, bakula, and choukchouka vary in their components, but generally consist of vegetables and spices, all cooked together in one pan. Harira soup is a tomato-based soup with chickpeas, meat, lentils, and noodles. It is an important cultural event in Morocco, as it marks the break of Lent during Ramadan, which is

2. taken with a date after a long day of fasting. On top of that, harira soup is just a starter and light snack. Moroccan main dishes As a main course, they have a wide selection of couscous and tagine. For the uninitiated, tagine is a dish cooked in a tagine (cone-shaped ceramic casserole), traditionally stuffed with meat (lamb, chicken, camel), but today it can also be found with fish, squid, or just vegetables. , so that vegetarians can attend this delicious meal. Couscous (so good they named it twice) is made the same way as tagine, as it can be cooked with meat or vegetables. Both are richly seasoned with sweet flavors: raisins, beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, and spices like cumin, paprika, turmeric, and pepper. Spears are also popular with French fries if you want something lighter and more "European." The grill kebab is the most common style in Morocco, called "meshwi". They are usually eaten in restaurants and steakhouses, where you can even bring your own meat bought from a butcher. Either way, they are a good cheap but delicious food option. There is a traditional dish from Fez that surprised me: the pastilla. It is a kind of cake made with filobak, chicken, almonds and decorated with sugar and cinnamon on top. It's crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside and absolutely terrific. It is easily mistaken for a dessert, but is generally served as a main dish that is of Andalusian origin, but is proudly claimed to be Moroccan to perfect the dish as it is known today. It may be a no-brainer, but the best seafood is found near the ocean. We had two full days of seafood in Essaouira where we tried everything, freshly caught fish, cooked in a small local restaurant on the same day, it was caught in a fancy fish restaurant where some of us even had oysters. Moroccan dessert Despite my wildest hopes, Moroccans don't eat super sweet food for dessert! Instead of the fruit you didn't have for breakfast, now you can have it for dessert. Fruit and cinnamon salad are the most common "desserts". Moroccan snacks Black, green, yellow, pink olives and more olives! Olives galore! You can taste olives for breakfast, afternoon tea, aperitif ... always. It was a pleasure for my eyes to see them stacked in

3. the souks (markets) spiced with olive oil, herbs, peppers or other spices. If you're hungry on the go, you'll want to try a few dates as well. They are found everywhere, from markets to restaurants, even at gas stations! Moroccan drinks Peppermint tea, oddly known as “Moroccan whiskey,” is Morocco's national drink and is no exaggeration. They drink it in the morning with snacks and with almost every meal of the day. Traditional tea is sweet and should be served once, put back into the kettle and served again and lift the kettle as high as possible while pouring. Interesting fact: the reason they serve high tea is because it has a frothy, frothy surface! The second most popular drink is coffee, which helps every European feel at home. They drink as much espresso as we do in Portugal or coffee with milk called Nous Nous (half). Visiting cafes in Morocco is a male dominated activity, but it's a bit fairer in the big cities. Besides tea, orange juice is a very popular drink because oranges are cultivated in Morocco. Bonus tip: Alcohol cannot be consumed in public and is only sold in approved places, which is why most hotels, bars, and some restaurants.