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15 April 2014

Marrakech: Part 1 - The Food, Obviously.

Last week I experienced my first genuine culture shock. Sure, reading this blog it may seem like I’ve travelled a lot this year, but I haven’t been outside of Europe. We had almost a week to explore Marrakech, and I think it’s safe to say I fell in love with it.

Before I start rambling about the trip, if you’re planning a visit, do check out Riad Ghali. We arrived there at about 9am, way too early to check-in, but after sitting for a few minutes waiting for word on whether our room was ready or not, they motioned us over to a table where they had set up a full breakfast for us. YES, PLEASE. The rooms are cute, the staff are so friendly, and the location is great. Oh and the freezing cold plunge pool when it’s pushing 35°C outside is a welcome bonus.

I’ve decided to break this trip down into a few entries, just because there’s so much to share! Let’s start with the most important: FOOD.

We had a list of a few things to try while we are there, and we travel-eat well together. We are both open to new foods and will probably try anything once. We had a list of places to try based on recommendations from an Italian friend who lives there, and we tried everything from swanky cafes to outdoor food courts.

One of our favourites foods that we ate was the pastilla. I think we ate chicken pastilla but there’s a good chance that it was pigeon. We've decided to just refer to it as chicken of the city. Sounds better, right? If you haven’t had pastilla before, you might not understand how delicious it is from the description. It’s shredded chicken cooked in spices, mixed with almonds, wrapped in crisp pastry layers, and covered with . . . wait for it . . . cinnamon and sugar. Think of it this way: In Canada, wrapping anything in bacon makes it taste better, but in Morocco, topping anything with cinnamon and sugar makes it taste better.

Also, get a freshly squeezed OJ in the square. You’ll have to choose from 20 men yelling at you from their stall, but just go with your gut and pick one.

Places to check out:
Terrasse des épices: Try the pastilla. I guarantee you’ll get lost along the way, but that makes it even better when you finally get there.
Cafe Arabe: Try the Harira soup. Please don't try the Italian food. You are in Morocco.
Kosybar: Order a fresh fruit cocktail, and in case you order a dessert, note that the crunchy cigar is just a ladyfinger. Good marketing though.
Dar Essalam: Get their 250 dirham tasting menu, and it will come with a side of belly dancing.
Toubkal: Get their 45 dirham tasting menu, if only for the high/low experience.
- Nightly food court in the square: Again, go with your gut and just point at a few things that you want to try. Every place is numbered, and every place will hound you to try theirs. 

Basically, just try to eat as much Moroccan food as you can. And pick up some spices while you're there, because you'll be inspired to recreate it when you get home! Or, if you're me, you'll pick up some spices just to close your eyes and imagine that you're back there every time you open the cupboard and smell them.

Riad Ghali
Daily breakfast. It should be illegal to start the day without fresh OJ.
View from the terrace of Kosybar.
Is something on fire? Nope. That's just meat smoke, from delicious meat being grilled.
This woman had skills. I would not dance around a room with a tray of fire on my head.
Terrasse des epices. So good that we went twice. And got lost both times.

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