Condé Nast Traveler
DINNER DATES
Photographer and food writer Jeff Koehler spent years traveling to Morocco to research his new book, Morocco: A Culinary Journey with Recipes(Chronicle books, $30). Now he’s offering private culinary tasting tours in Marrakech in conjunction with the quaint hotel La Maison Arabe—a four-hour market walk is followed by a feast at the hotel (212-524-387-010; doubles from $240; culinary tour, $1,200 for up to four). But if you can’t swing that, don’t miss his favorite tastes in the city. Here, his picks…
1. DATES “They’re offered to guests with a glass of milk. Large, soft, honeyed medjool dates are famous, but there are more than 223 types here. At the carts on Djemaa el Fna, the busy square in the ancient medina, I like the small, dark bousthammi variety [about $4 per kilo].
2. RAS EL HANOUT “A spice store’s signature blend, it can include 50 spices; ginger, cardamom, and turmeric are almost always involved. At any spice shop near Rahba Kedima square, tell the attar, or spice master, how spicy, floral, or aromatic you want it [50 grams, $2].”
3. MERGUEZ SAUSAGES “Follow the smoke to the grilled lamb or beef sausages at Hassan No. 31 on Djemaa el Fna. Served with bread and tomato sauce, the flavorful, finger-size sausages can’t come fast enough to keep up with the constant crowds [17 cents each].
4. COUSCOUS TFAYA “Friday lunch is key here, and since Moroccans enjoy food’s beauty as much as its taste, this sweet-and-spicy dish with raisins and caramelized onions has fried almonds on top. Try it at La Maison Arabe’s Le Restaurant [212-5-2438-7010; prix fixes from $45].”
5. SNAILS IN BROTH “These aid digestion: The herbal broth is infused with stomach soothers such as licorice root, cloves, and green tea. At Hassan No. 3 on Djemaa el Fna, snap a photo as the broth is ladled over a massive mound of snails [bowls from 60 cents].
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