Lawless, disorganized, ruthless…. This is the list you are probably familiar with when Marrakech comes to mind. My mother in law is a ‘Marrakchia’ (a term used to identify residents of Marrakech) since 2013. Up till today, she exudes the same ‘Well, This is Marrakech.. what do you expect?!’ reaction to family and friends who comes to visit her. No, not in a bad way don’t get me wrong, but in a way that you’ll find distinctive about Marrakech and it’s culture. There are so many reasons why she has chosen to live in Marrakech and obviously, she loves it!
Indeed it is a Muslim country located in the African region but Moroccans seem to be less extreme than most other Muslim brothers around. My mother in law lives right next to a mosque situated in Gueliz. When we came to visit, I was surprised she was not at all disturbed by the loud ‘Adhan’ (the call for Prayers) five times a day, the first one exhibited being 5-ish in the morning! I am well impressed! She learned Arab, cooks amazing Moroccan dishes, takes the public transport to get around town, buys groceries only from local markets- I guess she has immersed herself into the Moroccan culture!
Speaking of Moroccan dishes, I am a huge fan of Tajine and the Moroccan Salad! Oh, those juicy tomatoes mixed with diced capsicum, induced in the aroma of fresh coriander and cumin, so simple yet so divine!
There are different Tajine dishes, from lamb, chicken, beef, even vegetarian and my favourite is especially the Lemon Chicken (Poulet-Citron) Tajine while my husband practically orders Lamb Tajine (L’agneau) in all the restaurants we went to! Tajine is named after an earthenware pot which is cooked over charcoal (mostly) and what I found really interesting is that a tomato is normally placed at the top chute of the Tajine pot and when the tomato gets soft and cooked, you know the meat inside is cooked too!
Morocco’s sweet savoury is definitely not to be missed. Heard of the ‘Corne de gazelle’? This literally translates to the gazelle’s horn and if you have not heard of it, now you do because no one leaves Morocco without trying them! And… of all the Corne de Gazelles I have tried in Marrakech, I am going to make a huge commendation for chez Amandine! Seriously!! It was so good that we had to transport 3 kilos of these sweet savouries back home. I would not even do it it if its only good.
Peaks, Palms and Picnics 