Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mood for a beer and don't find it on the menu, you might want to ask the waiter in a low
voice, speakeasy-style.
One note of caution: quality assurance is tricky in a Muslim country where mixologists,
micro-brewers and licensed sommeliers are in understandably short supply, and your serv-
er may not be able to make any personal recommendations from the wine menu. Since
wines are subject to unpredictable heat exposure in transit and storage, be sure to taste
your wine before the server leaves the table - red wines are especially subject to spoilage.
Don't hesitate to send back a drink if something about it seems off; your server will likely
take your word for it.
BEEN THERE, EATEN THAT
Eat your way across Morocco, north to south, with these outstanding regional dishes:
Casablanca
Seksu bedawi
(couscous with seven vegetables)
Chefchaouen
Djaj bil berquq
(chicken with prunes)
Demnate
Seksu Demnati
(couscous made with corn or barley instead of semolina)
Essaouira
Hut mqalli
(fish tajine with saffron, ginger and preserved lemons);
djej kadra toumiya
(chicken with almonds, onions and chickpeas in buttery saffron sauce)
Fez
Kennaria
(stew with wild thistle or artichoke, with or without meat);
hut bu'etob
(baked shad
filled with almond-stuffed dates)
High Atlas
Mechoui
(slow-roasted stuffed lamb or beef)
Marrakesh
Bessara
(fava beans with cumin, paprika, olive oil and salt);
tanjia
(crock-pot stew of
seasoned lamb cooked for eight to 12 hours in the fire of a hammam)
Meknès
Kamama
(lamb stewed with ginger, seasoned butter
,
saffron, cinnamon and sweet onions)
Southern Coast
Amlou
(argan-nut paste with honey and argan oil)
Tangier
Local variations on tapas and paella
Beer
Casa
A fine local pilsner beer
Flag
A faintly herbal second-best
Flag Special
Affordable and the most popular beverage in Morocco (25 million units consumed annually)
Before dinner, your host may appear with a pitcher and a deep tray. Hold out your hands, and
your host will pour rosewater over them.
