BARBARBARdidn’t know how to cook it already! And then pastilla, which is thin sheets of pastry around layers of pigeon or chicken. It’s a
mix of sweet and savoury. I was so happy to learn this as it’s such an important dish.
The mix of sweet and savoury seems important in Moroccan food. Yes. We serve guests something sugary first for
hospitality so that they come back! Then the main dish is savoury.
What’s your favourite dish to cook? I really love a tajine of chicken with olives and preserved lemons.
When you teach tourists to cook Moroccan food, you start in the market first. I like to show our traditional produce, as
there are lots of things they aren’t familiar with, so I explain what everything is. Products like orange-blossom water, which we
use a lot, and herbs that we use for cosmetics as well as in food, I also get to learn a lot from talking to the market sellers – it’s
like travelling all over Morocco just in the souq.
What do people particularly like cooking? Hand-rolled couscous is very popular. It’s a long process, steaming the grains
several times. It’s totally different to the couscous they might have at home.
What surprises them most? People always ask why we don’t cook tajines in a tajine [dish]. It takes such a long time and you
need to cook over wood or charcoal. We’re modern people – a pressure cooker is much better! The tajine dish is often just for
serving.
Any problems? People can sometimes get a bit frustrated as I make them do everything in a totally Moroccan way. They have
to chop and peel vegetables by hand like I do, not using a chopping board. Just a knife! But they laugh about it and all get there
in the end.
Finally, when you’re not teaching cookery, what do you love to eat yourself? It has to be couscous, because it’s always
a big family feast. But I prefer it when someone else cooks! At home I like light, easy food – a simple bowl of harira is
wonderful.Drinking
It can seem as if the main occupation in the ville nouvelle is sitting in cafes nursing a coffee and
croissant. Blvd Mohammed V and Ave Hassan II have the greatest concentration, but you don’t
have to go far to grab a table, order a drink and watch the day unfold. In the medina, many of
the restaurants around Bab Bou Jeloud double as cafes, otherwise hole-in-the-wall places are
often the order of the day.
Hôtel Batha
Offline map Google map ( Place Batha) There are a couple of options for drinks in this handilylocated medina hotel. The bar by the pool catches the overspill from the Churchill Bar, which is
inside the hotel and in winter even features a log fire to warm yourself. At the back of the hotel
(side entrance), the outside Consul Bar is a more relaxed place for late-night drinks, and has its
own disco until midnight (closed Monday).
Riad Fès
Offline map Google map ( 5 Derb ibn Slimane) The classiest place for a drink in the whole city, thecourtyard bar of Riad Fès is a delight. Stucco columns catch the light reflected off the central
pool, and soft music plays while you sit at the glass bar or slump into the cushions. There’s a
good range of beer and spirits, plus wine available by the glass. Open to the elements, it’s a
little cold in winter, but fashionably cool in summer.
Maison Blanche
Offline map Google map ( 12 Rue Ahmed Chaouki) Dark leather, stylishly rough stone walls and awell-stocked bar make this place the perfect ville-nouvelle retreat for a classy drink or two.