Food in Our 3rd Moon



Mint tea

I’m sure this post comes as no surprise to those that have followed us thus far. Food is one of our biggest passions so we will be keeping this up as we go along. In our third moon we had the pleasure of eating our way through Morocco. The staples in Morocco are things made from dough (bread, flat bread, various types of pancake like things, etc), olives, dates and dried fruit, couscous, tajine (made from root vegetables and various meats excluding pork), La Vache Qui Rit and Kiri cheese, argan oil and let’s not forget mint tea. Mint tea is the cornerstone of Moroccan society: it is not just a beverage it’s a way of life in Morocco. It ends every meal and all socializing and business is conducted over mint tea. The service itself is a ceremony. The tea arrives in small metal pot filled with fresh mint and hot water accompanied by a large block of sugar. Before you drink the tea the host will take most of the sugar and crumble it into the pot. Then the ceremonial pouring and repouring of the tea begins. The tea is poured into one of the small glass glasses and this is not just any pour, the pot is tilted and is gradually raised above the glass to a couple of feet as the liquid slowly fills the glass. The liquid is then poured back into the metal pot. Seeing the pride in the eyes of the pourer as they go higher and higher with the pot is absolutely pricess. These two steps are repeated quite a few times before the tea is finally poured for drinking. The end result is a very sweet warm minty beverage. 



Super greasy and super tasty breakfast

Next is breakfast. Breakfast on the go Moroccan style almost always involves either a Moroccan pancake or a deep fried dough. A Moroccan pancake or ‘Rghaif’ is a flaky yet dense dough which when fried resembles something like a flattened croissant - pancake hybrid. You can have it plain or as we saw it, with argan oil and/or honey in the south, or with cheese and honey in the north. All absolutely delicious. There is also a much larger version which we think is called a ‘Beghrir’. The super greasy deep fried dough that is the heavier deadlier breakfast can be had with or without an egg fried into it. Let us describe the cooking process with an egg: first the man grabs a ball of dough and flattens it into a hockey puck, this puck is dropped in a huge tub of sizzling cooking oil. After two minutes of bathing in the oil the man grabs the sizzling fried dough with his bare hands rips a hole in the middle, throws it back into the oil and cracks an egg into the hole. After a single flip and about a minute of cooking time the finished product is placed on a single napkin for consumption. Oh God is this greasy heart attack ever worth it. We suggest washing it down with a cup of coffee followed by a bath. In contrast to this street fare, a typical hotel breakfast pretty much always consists of bread, jam, butter, orange juice and coffee. We also had the pleasure of having breakfast with a Berber family in their home. The menu consisted of a Berber porridge (rice, millet and lots of milk), home made Moroccan bread, jam, honey, argan oil and of course mint tea.

Hotel Atlas' tajine kefta kiri (just finger licking good)

Lunch and dinner are pretty much the same, with lunch seeming to be the larger meal. At restaurants, meal. At restaurants, meal. At restaurants, the meal always starts with bread, butter and spiced olives. In the western restaurants and hotels you always get cutlery however Moroccans use the bread as their utensils and always eat only with their right hand.  The main course usually consists of some form of a tajine, kebabs or couscous. Quality and flavor certainly depended on the cook. We had some great food and some pretty bland food. So what is a Tajine you ask? Tajine is a Moroccan stew cooked in a conical earthenware pot that keeps the juices in and the meat tender and moist. They come in all shapes and sizes from a basic vegetable tajine to a meat tajine with vegetables and/or olives and/or lemons and/or cheese. While we are on the topic of tajines we have to say that the best one we had all trip was the tajine kefta kiri at hotel Atlas in Mirleft cooked by the Kadija. This a tajine made with meatballs in a rich tomato sauce with kiri cheese and toped with a sizzling egg. A tajine masterpiece. We hope to have this again… inshallah. The bread that comes with all the meals as a side or utensil is called Khoobz. It’s a Moroccan style pita bread that’s about an inch thick, crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Snack options in Morocco are the above mentioned pita breads cut in half and stuffed with minced meat and onion. We also came accross the most amazing churros, which were these little deep fried rings of dough sprinkled with sugar. And last but not least you can help yourself to a bowl of snail soup for which you get a hook to pull the snails out. Unfortunately or fortunately we didn’t try the snail soup, but the locals line up for it.

We didn’t always eat out, as we had a kitchen for the first week we had the pleasure of doing our own grocery shopping and cooking. The shopping itself is an experience and a half. You walk down a market street with your choice of fresh produce, spices and grains. If you want a chicken you pick the one behind the guy selling them and he then kills it and cuts it up for you. Talk about fresh, organic and tasty.


One of our many home cooked meals

Couscous Royal (with merguez sausages, chicken, kefta and vegetables) and veggie tajine

Fresh is the name of the game (tyical fresh produce stand)

Organic chicken

Breakfast Morocco style



home cooked Moroccan meal ... simply delicious!!



what a few dollars at the market can get you



breakfast after a trip to the market

 

delicious duck at the birthday dinner



The chefts at a food stall at the square in Marrakech



another fantastic meal by chef Kadija at Hotel Atlas





Morocco: Life is a Beach

  

After the hustle and bustle of city life we slowed it down quite a few notches and went to check out some beaches along the western coast of Morocco. The landscape here is a dry rocky mountainscape dotted with many goats, sheep and donkeys and of course, cactuses. 

 

Essaouira

Our first stop was Essaouira. This quiet fishing town, which resembles the Greek islands with its white buildings and blue accents, was very peaceful and hospitable. Essaouira was designed by the same Frenchman who designed Brittany’s most famous port town Saint Malot. However, it is nonetheless very Moroccan in the old town’s medina with the narrow alleyways full of colourful merchants. With its laid back atmosphere, this medina feels very different than those found in the big cities. The waterfront has the most seagulls we have ever seen likely due to the infinite amounts of fish in the port. 

So, Essaouira’s most famous American son, Jimmi Hendrix, used to relax here in the 60’s and 70’s. Every guide book speaks of the fact that his song “Castles in the Sand” was likely based on an old castle in the sand found at the end of the beach. However, they then go on to say that the song was released two years before his first visit to Essouira. Not only was the man a legendary musician but he also seems to have be psychic J .

Kitesurfers, Essaouira

The beach at Essaouira is roughly 3 km’s long and is a famous windsurfing and kitesurfing spot due to its relentless wind. At the end of the beach one can find many camels and horses for beach rides and some small but nice sand dunes. Notwithstanding the wind and the ice cold Atlantic water, this is still a fantastic beach to relax on with its super fine golden sand. Strolling along the boardwalk that lines about half the beach you will be sure to encounter several children, as well as grown men, selling you quite delicious cookies (and “space cookies”) and will be sure to come across an evening game of beach football.

While in this quaint little beach town we had the pleasure of meeting Khalid, a leather salesman. This man is one of the most hospitable people we have ever met with a heart of gold. We met him by chance while browsing his store and after a few brief conversations he invited us over to his store for mint tea. After our tea he invited us over to his house for dinner where we had one of the best meals in Morocco by far (but more on this in our upcoming Morocco food post … ya, like we’d miss talking about food!!). After our amazing dinner, being a gentleman, he walked us home to ensure “we got home safely so that he could sleep ok”. This is where the story gets interesting and Khalid got more than he bargained for J . We got to our apartment only to find that the downstairs door was locked and the keyhole had fallen out, so of course, our key didn’t work. After much knocking and shouting with the assistance of a neighbourhood boy and downstairs neighbour, we realized we were definitely locked out for the night. Poor Khalid was stuck with us and not only did he offer us his home to crash in but he gave us his room and went to sleep with his roommates. We’re telling you, an amazing man!  



Khalid and the gang

Our second stop was Agadir. Oh Agadir you tourist whore (pardon our language). This place is your typical Florida or European beach town with hundreds of hotels and restaurants lining the beach and surrounding streets (including a Club Med), a large boardwalk and a huge beach. Agadir itself is a huge city with it’s own medina but as we only spent a very short time here we cannot comment on much else but the touristy beachfront. Unlike any other place in all of Morocco, alcohol is available everywhere unless stated otherwise, hence the many British pubs. 



Legzira Beach



Our last stop was Mirleft. This place was just amazing - so relaxing and the town is asleep by 10 pm. The main tourist drag resembles an old western movie with its dusty dirt road and two story saloon like buildings lining the street. While in Mirleft we had the pleasure of staying at Hotel Atlas (http://www.atlas-mirleft.com/), which was a great value with friendly staff, a fantastic cook and a massive rooftop patio.  The perfect place to make your home base. We sat every morning in front of our hotel eating and watching the slow paced town folk go through their daily routines including the old man trotting by on his donkey. The beaches at and around Mirleft are quite spectacular, all surrounded by steep cliffs. We only made it to three of the five closest beaches, two within walking distance and the last one was a 30 km moped adventure. Picture the two of us on a small moped designed for a short 12 year old. M drove while S sat on the back bike rack on a very comfortable ¼ inch foam pad (do you sense the sarcasm here … S still can’t feel part of her derriere). The ride was well worth it as the beach we got to was simply amazing. Legzira Beach, with its dramatic natural stone archways reaching over the ocean and five kilometers of secluded beautiful sandy beach. We’ll let all the pictures do the talking but needless to say that Morocco’s beaches are well worth a visit.

For the rest of our pictures click on this link (password: mirleft):  http://s912.photobucket.com/albums/ac322/sandymilos/Morocco_beaches/

Agadir

Essaouira medina



Essaouira beach

 

Essaouira Beach

 

Mirleft - 1st beach we visited

  

Mirleft - 1st beach we went to



The only picture of us on the moped we got