Food Tour in Morocco

Excited to embark on my 2nd tour with Walking with Nomads – I asked Linda for something completely different, cultural, immersive and food based for me and my brother. She invited us to try her new venture (with Amanda from @OurikaOrganicKitchen) a private food tour in Morocco called;

MY NOMADIC KITCHEN

So, our 8-day food tour in Morocco began in the only place it could: seated on a picnic blanket beside Chef Amanda’s organic garden, sipping tea, receiving a whirlwind overview of our itinerary and an introduction to Amanda’s passion for food, sustainability, and Morocco. In the background, farmers tended to the lush crops around us. 

Moroccan Recipes (some we enjoyed on this tour)

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• Quail Pastilla
• Shakshuka
• Aubergine Zalouk
• Carrot Zalouk
• Courgette Zalouk
• Tomato, Cucumber and Pepper salad
• Fish Tagine
• Charmoula
• Bissara
• Rose Petal Jam
• Rose and Saffron Tea
• Rose Petal Ras el Hanout

Minutes later we were welcomed into Amanda’s home, where we skinned almonds, shredded quail, and followed every step required to make a gorgeous pastilla. The quail was simmered in warm spices, combined with ground almonds and eggs, and then wrapped into a pie-shaped package using handmade warqa (similar to filo pastry). Served with a green salad straight from Amanda’s garden, it was a perfect first cooking demo and first lunch.

From there, we travelled to Imlil, a picturesque mountain village about an hour away, where we’d stay that night.

The next seven days of our food tour in Morocco were full of beautiful food, landscapes, and experiences. And so many warm, gracious people, new friends who generously and eagerly offered insight into their lives, culture, joys, struggles, and dreams. It’s a lot to process! And too much for one blog post—so below, just a few highlights of our week.

Bread in Imlil / Tafernoute

We had barely arrived at our riad in Imlil when we met Hassan, a resident of the town. He led us through a maze of paths between houses and gardens and down the hill to his home. There we made traditional bread from scratch – given guidance on mixing and very vigorous kneading – and baked by fire in their backyard oven. 

In between steps, while waiting for the dough to rest and rise, we sipped tea, ate almonds and walnuts grown in the area, and exchanged stories. 

By 8 p.m. we were walking back through the maze to our riad, warm bread in hand, so ready for supper and bed. It was a large first day. 

Couscous in Valley of Roses 

We spent two nights and a full day in and around Kalaat M’Gouna in the Valley of Roses. We toured giant fields of rose bushes (gorgeous, though a day or two before the roses were out and ready to harvest) and a rose water distillery. We filled our shopping bags with locally made rose products. 

Mohammed, one of the hosts at our guest house, invited us into his bustling family home for lunch. We watched as his mother finished cooking hand-rolled couscous and vegetables over a charcoal fire. One of his sisters then skillfully arranged the food on a giant wooden platter.

The platter was placed in the centre of a room; we all gathered around, seated on cushions, spoons in hand. Sharing a home-cooked meal is always special—but this was something even better. Welcomed into a large and busy family, literally eating from the same dish, laughing and telling stories in multiple languages (translations flying around just as quickly)—it was an afternoon I’ll treasure always. 

We were sent away with big hugs and promises to have lunch together again, someday.

The remainder of the day was taken up with us learning to use rose water in rose and saffron tea, rose petal jam and rose petal Ras el Hanout.

Moroccan Recipes (some more we enjoyed on this culinary tour)

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• Date paste
• Couscous with vegetables
• Tfaya
• Goat Tagine
• Chicken Rissoles
• Kefta Tagine
• Chicken Tagine
• Vegetable Tagine

Wild desert camping near M’hamid 

From the Valley of Roses, we headed to the Sahara. Our first night was “wild camping”—meaning we were in a temporary setup among the dunes—a 20 minute or so 4×4 ride from the town of M’hamid.

At camp was a cook tent and small sleeping tents, mats and pillows to gather on, tea and, always, excellent food. We walked up the nearest dunes to enjoy the expansive views (including wild camels!) and the silence. That night, we learned to make sand bread (actually baked IN the sand and so delicious), and gathered around the fire for music and conversation. 

We lucked into a wind-free night. We pulled our mats from the tents and slept under the full moon. It was the best sleep; the most peaceful night.

After breakfast we trekked the 90 minutes or so back to the village and our beautiful desert riad, (and very welcome showers). That afternoon we explored the area and watched as supper was prepared over charcoal fires. We ate outdoors and, again, music by the fire took us into the night.

Picnics under the Acacia Trees

As we were told, picnics are a tradition for many families in Morocco—and we were treated to three, two expertly prepared by Chef Amanda and providing welcome breaks during the longer driving days. Tea, salads, olives, bread, tuna or freshly cooked chicken rissoles, and more were all spread out on a blanket as we took time to chat, relax, and feast.

The third picnic was en route to our camp in Erg Chigaga, the accommodation for our third Sahara night. The camp is nestled among the dunes, a two-hour drive by 4×4 from the nearest community.

About 90 minutes into the drive, we pulled over by a stately acacia tree, where a wonderful picnic was all set up – blankets, cushions, a fine spread of dips and salads, fruit and vegetables, olives, bread, and brochettes being grilled over charcoal. Hocin, our gracious host, had come from the camp by camel. After eating, we were encouraged to stretch out and relax, interact with the camels …

… and then the wind whipped up. Suggestions to take a nap became instructions to pack up quickly. Everything was tidied and tucked into the camel bags in minutes and we were back in the 4×4 with our skillful driver, Aziz and zipped to Hocin’s camp.

Sunrise from the highest dunes

After a windy afternoon—there’s not much to do except wrap up and try to stay out of the pelting sand—and a spectacular dinner, we looked at the forecast. The wind was to drop after midnight; after watching a desert guitar band for a while, we planned to meet at 5:15 am to ride camels to the base of the highest dune in Erg Chigaga in time for sunrise.

And so we started the next day with a moonlight amble by camel, and then a 20-minute trek to the peak of the tallest dune. Even with lingering haze from the sandstorm, sunrise was spectacular. The silence of the desert, the lights playing on the dunes, sand undulating as far as the eye can see … a Sahara sunrise belongs on every bucket list.

We reluctantly left camp later that morning and went back to M’Hamid. From there we began our drive back across the Altas mountains, staying one night in the oasis town of Agdz. At this welcoming Dar, we enjoyed our final evening meal together. We were served a feast of seffa medfouna, a dome of sweetened vermicelli noodles hiding spiced chicken.

Moroccan Recipes (the last of those we enjoyed on this food tour in Morocco)

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• Moroccan Bread
• Camel Tagine
• Preserved Lemons
• Cooked Harissa
• Batbout Bread
• Seffa Medfouna
• Berber Omelette
• Msemmen

The best part: travelling with true insiders

For the eight days of our food tour, we were a family of six—four travellers, our driver/guide Hssaine, and Chef Amanda. In other words, we spent a LOT of time together, and a lot of time talking: while driving from place to place, over shared meals or tea, while sitting by a fire into the evening, and all the moments of exploration in between. The trust between us grew as the days went by. Conversations became more candid and honest, and the laughs louder. 

Hssaine grew up in a nomadic family and went on to study languages in university. A gifted storyteller, he’s eager to discuss both traditional culture and current affairs. Not only do Hssaine and Chef Amanda hold a depth of knowledge and an willingness to share their experiences, they went out of their ways to ensure we had a safe, comfortable, and inspiring trip. 

For me, the most meaningful aspect of this trip—offering honest insight and a good start at understanding this beautiful county—was that opportunity to learn from and connect with new friends who love Morocco so deeply.

 

My Nomadic Kitchen is a new venture between Linda and Amanda who both have a deep passion for clean food, sustainable tourism and slow travel. My Nomadic Kitchen echoes the essence of Morocco’s soul and we hope this blog by Stephanie Porter has helped you to understand what a My Nomadic Kitchen Tour could look like.

All our food tours in Morocco are private, bespoke and created for you. If you are wanting to re-connect with food in a healthy way – celebrating the purity of freshly picked, locally grown, non packaged, additive free ingredients prepared with love and passion, then this tour is for you.

Understanding  the culture of a country all comes back to the plate.

We have created a beautiful recipe book based on this food tour in Morocco. It includes all the recipes listed in this blog as well as some stunning images for you to download and keep forever. To purchase the recipe book (in PDF format) email contact@walkingwithnomads.com 

 

Photo credit to @sennivisuals