On Moroccan Food

Essaouira's Medina from the port

Tom got to dig into the first steak of our Moroccan adventure last night; a gorgeous cut of meat adorned with fresh black pepper sauce and creamy mashed potatoes. Not a very Moroccan dish, but then Essaouira's flavour is more European. It's fortified Medina wall was constructed by the French architect, Théodore Cornut, who while imprisoned in the town was ordered by the sultan of the time to do so.

The food in this town has been quite a delight all round. From our first meal around the table at Dar Afram, to the extravagance of last night at the hip After 5, we have enjoyed all of the flavours.

Arriving from Spain, we came with expectations of Moroccan food. Spanish cuisine, as I have learned from travels through the North and now the South, leaves much to be desired. It tends to generally be greasy and a bit bland - there are of course exceptions, tapas in San Sebastian is one - not very exciting overall.

Tangier, although not the most exciting of cities for the traveller, left us pleasantly surprised in the food department. Our first meal, a chicken pizza at Oslo was freshly made and superb. The shawarma, the last we'd have until arrival in Essaouira, almost as good as any in Ottawa. We also tried out first tarte au citron at a plush seafood restaurant, a treat that would be repeated at Marrakesh's Café des Lives. The French influence does live on in Morocco in such deserts, as well as in the morning croissants, pain au chocolat, baguette, and café au lait. Mint tea is of course unmistakeably from the Arab world. Tea so sweet it leaves your teeth screaming, is how it is usually served. Tangier had a great assortment of colonial tea houses, including the Café de Paris, a gorgeous spot equipped with chandeliers and a fountain in the centre. The French colonials did live a good life in Morocco.

Our first taste of true Moroccan food was pretty awful, as I mentioned in my post on Chefcaouen. Fès impressed us with camel burger's at Café Clock, delicious tagines and great street food, including the soft and fresh macaroons sold for 1 Durham, or 10cent. Of course there was also the expensive and disappointing palace meal; which left us un-tempted to put down that much money for one in Marrakesh, although I am sure we missed out on a magical experience (we'll have to return some day in the future for a short holiday to take in the extravagance Marrakesh has to offer).

You do hit a certain point when you are looking for something other than bread (not toast, just bread and sometimes not so fresh) for breakfast and tagine for dinner. Pizza, as we discovered this past summer in Cuba, and now again, is always a good option. Yet, the lack of heat left Tom and I searching for hot sauce at the grocery store. We were looking for something different once we arrived back to the coast.

The meals I cooked in Taghazout were a welcome change. Mostly veggie and minus the bread. The produce available in Morocco is always fresh and due to the expense of pesticides, always organic.

Now, in Essaouira we are discovering more delectable dishes than in any other city. The proximity to the sea bring in, fresh fish daily, and the local argan oil is served on everything from salads to as a topping, known as amlou, mixed with crushed almonds and honey on warm Moroccan crèpes.

Casablanca will most likely bring us back to the worldly cuisine of Marrakesh again. I have to say though, we are looking forward to a nice American breakfast at Rick's Café (unfortunately not THE one from the movie, as it was filmed on a Hollywood sound studio), as promised in the guidebook.