the Travel Enthusiast
- 14 Jan
papillon in Travel Planning | 1 COMMENT10 tips about Moroccan cuisine
Morocco
Moroccan cuisine is heaven on a plate for foodies, and if your adventures in food-land are limited to more traditional tastes and aromas, the dishes served up in Morocco will make you feel like you’ve missed out on something your entire life. Visiting Marrakesh without popping into Djemaa el Fna, the main square that fills with countless food stalls as the night progresses, is almost unimaginable.
But wherever you choose to much on your chosen Moroccan delicacy, you can’t go wrong with this particular cuisine. Here are 10 little known facts about Moroccan cuisine, that will make your culinary experience even better.
1. Vegetarians won’t have to starve
There are lots of vegetarian dishes in Moroccan cuisine, and sometimes there are even vegetarian version of some well known traditional dishes. Vegetarian cooked salads are especially popular.
2. Best food is on the streets
Restaurants definitely won’t disappoint you, but there are some extraordinary dishes that you can typically find on the street, like snail soup, brochettes, kefta, or doughnuts, Moroccan pancakes and pastries stuffed with khlia (strips of mutton preserved in fat).
3. Drinks
The traditional drinks of Moroccan cuisine are perfect after a big meal, or as starters. Try the freshly squeezed aseer limoon (a kind of orange juice), sweet and aromatic thé b‘na na (mint tea) and qahwa (the incredible strong and spicy Moroccan coffee).
4. A sip of wine
Although Morocco is a Muslim country, you can drink wine, and the drinks on offer are usually excellent. The local vineyards left over from the times of the French rule produce very good wines.
5. Leave room for desserts
Not tasting the Moroccan desserts would mean that you’re missing out on an important part of the cuisine. One of the best sweets is the bastilla, layers of flaky pastry with cream and toasted nuts.
6. Learn it
Even if you’ve never imagined yourself cooking Moroccan, learning how to cook some delicious traditional dish is not impossible. Sign up for a cooking class at kitchen of Riad Tafi lalet in Fes, or at Riad Souafine and Roumana.
7. Try a riad
Street food is amazing, but it is worth visiting a riad, a traditional restaurant, usually with a fixed menu. The cooking is home-style, and just as adventurous as what you find on the street.
8. Avoid tourist traps
Big, ‘palace restaurants’ with waiters in oriental costumes might serve fancy foods, but most of the time they are tourist traps that won’t give you better dishes than what you find in smaller places for much lower prices.
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travel search by Travelgrove (get this widget)9. Be careful if you’re allergic
Most of the Moroccans dishes contain wheat and barley, so if you’re allergic to wheat, gluten or something similar, make sure to ask what’s in the food you’re about to order.
10. Don’t stuff yourself
If you order a set course at a riad, you’d better be prepared to eat humongous quantities of food. A traditional Moroccan mean is a seemingly endless succession of courses, so make sure to leave space in your stomach for what’s coming next.
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These tips are great, I am actually in Marrakesh at the moment and have been here for three weeks now. Absolutely loving it! I agree about the Riads, I am actually staying in one at the moment called Riad Magellan where they provide you with absolutely beautiful traditional Moroccan meals. They show you how to cook them too!
Morocco is such an amazing country, I would definitely recommend it to anyone although it can be a bit of a culture shock at first!