Plain terracotta cooking tajines are
oven safe, fine for stovetop cooking
and cost less than Dh80. According to
a recent New York Times review, new-
fangled tajines made by major
European brands cost 10 times that
and don’t cook as well.
The Art of the Islamic Tile , by Gerard
Degeorge and Yves Porter, celebrates
the splendours of ceramics across the
Middle East, from Istanbul to Fez.
give off a putrid stench, and concerns about toxicity from chemical dyes have given rise to a
proposal to turn the tanning pots of Fez into community gardens.
Ceramics
If Moroccan ceramics don’t convince you to upgrade from Tupperware, nothing will. Blue-and-
white pottery from Fez might even top your grandmother’s china as the new family heirloom,
and though the colour scheme might remind you of a Ming vase, you’ll be pleased to hear that
it’s nowhere near as expensive – a decorative tajine may run you Dh150 to Dh400, depending
on size and decoration. As usual, antiques have their own price range, and it can be hard to tell
the real deal from a fake with a convincing patina.
Different regions have their own colour schemes: Meknès
ceramics tend to be green and black, Safi offers black and
white Berber patterns, and Tamegroute makes a distinctive
green glaze from oxidised copper. Salé is strong on yellow and
turquoise, geometric patterns and intricate dot-patterned
dishes. Marrakesh specialises in monochrome ceramics in red,
graphite or orange that emphasise geometric and whimsical
forms instead of elaborate decoration. Many rural areas
specialise in terracotta crockery, with plain, striking shapes and
Berber good-luck symbols painted in henna.
Zellij
To make a Moroccan fountain, grab your hammer and
screwdriver-sized chisel, and carefully chip a glazed tile into a
geometrically correct shape. Good job – now only 6000 more
to go to finish your water feature. Then again, you might leave
it to the Moroccan mosaic masters to spiff up your foyer with
glittering zellij end tables, entryway mirrors, and fountains of all sizes. Fez has a reputation for
the most intricate, high-lustre zellij , and the historic fountains around town dating from the
Middle Ages are convincing advertisements for Fassi masterworks. But compared to Meknès
mâalems , Fez zellij -makers are rookies: they’ve been making mosaics around Meknès since
Romans walked the mosaic floors at nearby Volubilis.
Brass, Copper & Silver
Tea is something of a performance art in Morocco, and it requires just the right props. As
though tea poured from over your head weren’t dramatic enough, gleaming brass teapots and
copper tea trays are hammered by hand to catch the light and engraved with calligraphy to
convey baraka on all who partake. Pierced brass lamps and recycled tin lanterns add instant
atmosphere – and if all else fails to impress, serve your guests a sliver of cake with an inlaid
knife from Morocco’s dagger capitol, Kelaâ M’Gouna.
Most ‘silver’ tea services are actually nickel silver, and should cost accordingly – about Dh50
to Dh250 for the teapot, and usually more for the tray (depending on size and design). But if
you’re having the motorcycle gang over to tea, you might prefer the studded rubber tea tray
made from recycled tyres.