ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Marrakech, Morocco: What & Where to Eat!

Updated on August 4, 2015

Me: Dining on a Rooftop in Marrakech

TAJINE Dish

wikipedia photo
wikipedia photo | Source

Exotic Spices

Outdoor Market (Dried Fruits, Dates & Nuts)

Amazing Oranges & Delicious Yogurt (Best Ever)

Ahhhh, Marrakech...

Exotic, sensuous, mysterious and delicious are wonderful ways to describe this international city. When my husband and I went to Morocco (me for the first time and he for he second), our senses were overloaded. GORGEOUS exotic architecture, intricate zellij ( tiles), fine hand-woven carpets, exquisitely embroidered silk cushions, gleaming brass plates, delicate silver tea sets, and magnificently decorated lanterns were just some of the wondrous things that filled our eyes. Our noses were tantalized by the outdoor markets that sold cinnamon, mint, cardamon, cloves, nutmeg and several other spices. The sinuous melodies of horns, flutes and stringed instruments in the main square filled our ears as snake charmers and street musicians performed for tips. If you ever have the chance to go to Marrakech...GO!

Before our departure, I made a list of all the sites I wanted to see and all the foods I wanted to try. The following is a list of traditional items found in Morocco. You will notice that the use of nuts, spices and sweets are often mixed with meats for an unusual, but delightful taste.

WHAT TO EAT IN MOROCCO:

Tajine: dishes cooked in traditional cone shaped ceramic pottery (see photo). During our trip we had several and all of them were good:
lamb with figs and walnuts (rich and sweet)
chicken with raisins and almonds
chicken with lemon and olives (very savory)
beef with prunes and onions

Cous-Cous: also cooked in tajine with or without meat. We tried beef cous-cous and vegetarian cous-cous (very filling dish)

Harira Soup: tomato based with chickpeas, lentils and pasta

Bastila (or Basteeya): phyllo pastry filled with chicken, raisins, spices and topped with cinnamon and sugar

Brochette: shish kebab usually of fried lamb

Kefta: spicy meatballs in rich tomato sauce with a fried egg in the center

Fekkas: very delicate biscotti with nuts

M'hancha: almond pastries- some are flavored with hint of orange

You can find these foods in the Jemma El Fna main square at night when all the food stalls are open (now THAT is quite a cultural experience since the locals are all out eating dinner) or if you crave a quiet restaurant, there are several in the medina. One that my husband and I found that we liked so much we went there twice was: Restaurant Cafe Berbere that served tasty 3 course lunch specials. It is located onff the square in Derb Dabachi # 38, Fondek El Messioui #26. Tel. 06 50 23 62 04. The interior is very colorful and charming and cool, which was a real relief after being out in the hot desert sun. NOTE: dessert is usually choice of homemade yogurt (absolutely delicious) or Moroccan oranges with cinnamon- the oranges are out of this world. The best I have ever eaten (even better than Florida, California or anywhere in Brazil). During the day, you can get fresh squeezed orange juice from the many stands in the square- dirt cheap and amazingly good.

Here are a few NON FOOD RELATED things to do when you go:

Les Baines de Marrakech: total pampering spa experience in the most gorgeous spa I have ever visited. By far a luxury that everyone should treat themselves to and it's affordable. My husband and I booked together and we were both tended to in the same room, so if your hubby or boyfriend is intimidated, he won't be alone (oh, and my husband LOVED it). For more info, check out the site: http://www.lesbainsdemarrakech.com/

Adresse Boutique at 67 Souk Kchachbia Medina off the main square is the place to go if you are looking for rugs, clothing or hand made crafts. All the items are made by local women and its FOR local women, so it is a cooperative. The woman who helped us pick out a rug was friendly, polite and NOT PUSHY (like the aggressive salesmen in the medina). It's hard to find because it's tucked in a corner, but so worth your trouble. For more info here is the email: cofdem@gmail.com (they speak English, too).

After you have seen the main attractions (Medersa Ben Youssef, Qoubba almoravide, Museum of Marrakech, Dar Si Said and Jardim Majorelle), don't leave Marrakech without checking out the Maison de la Photographie! This small photograph museum contains several floors of historic photos and a rooftop cafe where you can sip tea or eat lunch in the shade with a sweeping view of the city.

Tips for your trip: The national languages are Arabic and French- some English is spoken in the main square, but not outside of it, so bring a dictionary. Dress for comfort and modesty (especially women). While we saw women in shorts and miniskirts, they were getting the kind of male attention that is NOT good (degrading). Bring a hat, sunscreen and lightweight (but not see through) fabrics. Their culture is very different from our western one, so keep an open mind and you may learn something valuable.

Shukran (Thank you) for reading!

C. De Melo
Author & Artist
www.cdemelo.com

ME: In a Souk Within the Medina

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)