The food we enjoyed in Morocco was some of the best we’ve had while traveling.  To be honest, we hardly ventured out for meals from our Riad because the food there was so amazing.  Every morning, the cook would go to the markets and buy the food to make for dinner at the Riad that night, we had no choices, no menus, but at the end of the day, we never wanted to leave and the food was incredible.  We did venture out for lunches though and had a chicken bastilla that we’re still thinking about to this day at a little cafe near the Koutubia Mosque.  If you’ve never heard of chicken bastilla, you need to!  It’s of those foods that really shouldn’t work, ground chicken inside a crisp thin dough shell mixed with nuts and other ingredients and then topped with cinnamon and sugar.  It is one of the most amazing things we’ve ever tasted and in fact, we ate it for lunch that day and went back to get it again for dinner the same day, it was that good!

The Middle East is famed for its sweets and mint teas, but Morocco takes the cake on this one.  The cookies (which I’m still thinking about) and the mint tea were truly out of this world.  We made an effort to come back to the Riad every day during mid-afternoon just to have our tea time with Moroccan sweets.

Mint tea is also served everywhere you go.  We wandered into a rug shop while out and about in the souks and immediately were offered mint tea upon walking in.  It’s meant to show friendship and acceptance of guests and it’s really impolite to refuse.  So take a glass and enjoy the moment!

One thing that Morocco is famous for are their Riads.  These old world guest houses have been turned into bed and breakfast style inns for travelers.  With gorgeous suites and home cooked meals, you just have to have this experience in Morocco.  Our Riad, Riad 72, was fabulous and we felt like we were in a palace the whole time.  Our room had Moroccan tile floors, wood beam ceilings and carved wooden doors.  Our bathroom was all marble and Moroccan tile with a huge bathtub and Moroccan lanterns hanging at every corner.  The Riad experience is fantastic and takes you back in time!

One of the famous things about Middle Eastern cultures are their souks.  Morocco (while in Africa, tends to lean more Middle Eastern culturally) has a plenty of amazing souks to wander and lovely things to buy.  We brought home a silver tea pot, jewelry and scarves but we still to this day wish we would have brought home some of these incredible lanterns we saw all over.  Take an afternoon and just wander the souks, but be sure to have a map to be able to get back to where you started, as you’ll get disoriented and lost in the labyrinths of souks throughout the city.  Bargain your way through and you’ll be sure to come home with some amazing finds.

Perhaps my favorite part of our trip through Marrakech was wandering the incredible spice markets.  We brought home cinnamon and saffron.  The cinnamon was so fragrant and I used it for months afterwards, offering everything such an exotic flavor.  The aromas walking through these markets is pure intoxication, the smells of exotic flavors and spices is just divine and such a cool experience!

Traveling to Morocco?

See all of my posts on the country!