The Culinary Tour to Morocco Itinerary 2003
B=Breakfast L=Lunch D=Dinner
Tuesday May 6 Depart for Casablanca
Wednesday May 7 Casablanca/Marrakech (D) Early morning arrival in Casablanca and transfer to connecting flight to fabled Marrakech, Morocco's most popular city. Welcome by your English-speaking guide, who will accompany you to the Riad Atta, your lovely accomodations superbly located within walking distance of the Medina and its famous square, Jemaa El Fna. Special light lunch on your own at the Riad Atta to include chorba bil khodra (saffron-scented vegetable soup) and a variety of briwats (savory filled pastry triangles). Afternoon at leisure to settle down and get some rest. Late afternoon meet Joan Peterson, your tour leader, and visit Jemaa el Fna to see the square transform from a lively area of acrobats and other entertainers into a vast eatery of food stalls. Welcome dinner at the renowned Tobsil Restaurant in the Medina. Overnight at Riad Atta.
Thursday May 8 Marrakech (B,L,D) After breakfast departure for morning visit of Marrakech, its markets and historical sites. Late morning meeting at Marrakech Ecole Hoteliere for a demonstration on traditional breads and rghaif (flat breakfast pastries). We also will have a hands-on opportunity to make these breads. Lunch to include tagine maassala (lamb with honeyed tomato garnish) at the fabulous Restaurant Al Fassia in the New Town area. Afternoon meeting at the enchanting Yacout restaurant for a demonstration of making bestila, Morocco's exquisite signature dish of squab or chicken in a lemony egg, almond and spiced onion sauce within layered sheets of warka (flaky, paper-thin dough), topped with cinnamon and sugar. Rest at hotel before having dinner to include your own bestila at Yacout. Also enjoy the classic dish of mechoui (spit-roasted lamb) and keneffa (a sweet dessert made with warka). Overnight at Riad Atta.
Friday May 9 Marrakech (B,L,D) After breakfast excursion to the Ourika Valley, a popular summer destination, with a stop en route to visit Jemma R'Mat Friday country souk. Experience the hospitality and warmth of a local Berber family in the Valley, at whose home you'll enjoy lunch and a tea ceremony. Return to Marrakech to rest or visit the Medina. Afternoon demonstration of couscous at the acclaimed Dar Marjana restaurant. Dinner at Dar Marjana highlighting your own couscous. Overnight at Riad Atta.
Saturday May 10 Marrakech (B,L,D) After breakfast visit to the Dar Si Said Museum, the Saadian Tombs, the Kissaria in the Medina for textiles and crafts, the 13th and 15th century Mellah Markets, and Aachab Atlas (Les Epices de L'Atlas) for spices. Buffet lunch at the famed Mamounia, a palace that was converted into an elegant hotel in the colonial period. Afternoon visit of the Majorelle and Menara Gardens. Early evening demonstration and dinner at the notable Douirya restaurant. Hands-on preparation of your own Fes-style tagine of sea bream. Another dinner highlight is seffa (a sweet dessert of couscous made with fine-granule semolina). Overnight at Riad Atta.
Sunday May 11 Marrakech/Ouzoud (B,L,D) After breakfast departure to Cascade d'Ouzoud, the most famous waterfalls of Morocco, located halfway between Marrakech and Fes. Check in at Riad Cascades d'Ouzoud, a delightful small country inn at the top of the Cascades in the village of Ouzoud, overlooking the Ouzoud River. After lunch at the Riad, discover the area at leisure. Late afternoon demonstration of barley couscous, a typical dish of this purely Berber area. Dinner to include your own barley couscous. Overnight at the Riad.
Monday May 12 Ouzoud/Fes (B,D) After breakfast drive to Fes, the oldest of Morocco's imperial cities, across the varied landscapes of Morocco: the rich agricultural plains of Beni Mellal and the Middle Atlas Mountains. Check in at the memorable Dar El Ghalia Guest House, a beautiful former palace located in the labyrinthine Medina that has remained basically unchanged since biblical times. Lunch on your own at Dar El Ghalia. Afternoon at leisure. Late afternoon demonstration of poulet de grains Souiri (exquisite, Essaouira-style chicken in saffron-scented sauce with eggs). Dinner on the terrace of Dar El Ghalia while enjoying the panoramic view of the Fs Medina at night. Overnight at Dar El Ghalia Guest House.
Tuesday May 13 Fes (B,L,D) Departure after breakfast for visit of the old Medina to see the food and spice souks (markets). Watch the making of a popular street foodsfinge (yeast-raised doughnuts, typically enjoyed with mint tea). Late morning meeting at the Ecole Hoteliere of Fes to see a demonstration on delicious sweet Moroccan pastries. We will practice making them as well. Lunch at Dar El Ghalia Guest House. Afternoon visit of the old Medina to see the coppersmiths, the dyers, and other important sites not visited in the morning. Late afternoon meeting at the grand Palais Mnebhi for a demonstration of djaj m'qualli (tagine of chicken flavored with ginger and saffron). Dinner at Palais Mnebhi to include djaj m'qualli and shlada limun, a delicious orange salad flavored with cinnamon and orange-flower water. Overnight at Dar El Ghalia Guest House.
Wednesday May 14 Fes (B,L,D) Morning at leisure, perhaps for more exploration of the fascinating Medina. Late morning demonstration at Dar El Ghalia Guest House of making trid, a dish made with a primitive type of stretched pastry dough baked over a hot surface and then layered with a meat filling. Lunch at the Guest House will include your own trid with beef. Afternoon visit to the New Town area of Fes. Late afternoon meeting at the wonderful Restaurant Palais de la Medina at R'cif for a demonstration of some special salads: zahlouk and chakchouka, and tagine lham tafaya, a stellar tagine of lamb with a honeyed mixture of red onion, raisins and almonds, scented with saffron, cinnamon and rose water. Dinner at the Restaurant Palais de la Medina at R'cif to include your own lamb tagine. Overnight at Dar El Ghalia Guest House.
Thursday May 15 Fes (B,L,D) After breakfast drive to Dayet Aoua, one of five lakes in the scenic Lake Circuit, with lunch at Chalet du Lac. In periods of adequate rainfall the area is a birder's paradise. Late afternoon return to Fes for a demonstration of the scrumptious dish called djaj maammar bil k'seksu (chicken or squab stuffed with couscous) at the Dar El Ghalia Guest House. Dinner to include your own djaj maammar bil k'seksu on the terrace at Dar El Ghalia Guest House.
Friday May 16 Fes/Meknes/Rabat (B,L,D) After breakfast departure for Meknes, one of Morocco's imperial cities, at the center of a rich, agricultural area. Lunch at the impressive Palais Terrab in Meknes. Demonstration and lunch of tagine kabab maghdour (a classic dish of little meatballs in a flavorful tomato-based sauce). Just before serving, eggs are poached in the sauce and appear nestled between the meatballs. Afternoon visit of Volubilis, the site of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins in Morocco. On the way, view the village of Moulay Idriss, a national pilgrimage site housing the tomb of Moulay Idriss, the founder of Morocco's first indigenous Islamic kingdom. Late afternoon arrival in Rabat and check in at the grand Hotel Meridien Tour Hassan. Demonstration of djaj m'qualli bil hamd marked wa zitun (a popular chicken dish with olives and zesty preserved lemons). Dinner at the Meridien Tour Hassan to include your own djaj m'qualli bil hamd marked wa zitun. Overnight at Meridien Tour Hassan.
Saturday May 17 Casablanca (B,L,D) After breakfast check out of hotel and visit the Mohamed V Mausoleum and Hassan Tower before heading for Casablanca. Check in at the Riad Salam, nicely located on the beach front of the Atlantic, with its own Thalassotherapy (seawater bathing) Center and Hammam (steam bath and massage). Lunch at the Riad Salam. Visit to the food markets in the Medina, including the olive souk and the market of Bab Marrakech, and the Exposition Nationale d'Artisanat afterwards. Late afternoon demonstration at the lovely Restaurant Basmane to learn how to make harira, the traditional, rich Moroccan soup that breaks the fast during Ramadan, and seafood bestila, a variation of the classic pastry filled with squab or chicken. Overnight at the Riad Salam.
Sunday May 18 Casablanca/Safi/Casablanca (B,D) After breakfast departure for a day trip to Safi, a modern fishing port and center for fine, traditional pottery, which is housed within the Pottery Quarter in the Medina. Lunch on your own in Safi at Restaurant du Potier in the Pottery Quarter, with time to shop for pottery, including beautiful tagines. Stop in El Jadida on the way back to Casablanca to visit the old Portuguese Quarter and see the impressive underground cistern. Demonstration of kefta kebabs (minced meat on skewers) and several Moroccan salads at La Fibule in Casablanca, a popular new restaurant by the seaside. Dinner at La Fibule to include your own dishes. Overnight at Riad Salam.
Monday May 19 Casablanca (B,L,D) After breakfast leisure time, perhaps for shopping or mailing parcels home. Lunch at the lovely Al Mounia Restaurant. Afternoon guided tour of the immense Hassan II Mosque, the second largest religious monument in the world next to Mecca. Visit the Nouvelle Medina, known also as the Quartier Habous, including a stop at the renowned Benni's Pastry Shop to satisy your sweet tooth one more time. Dinner and overnight at the Riad Salam.
Tuesday May 20 Departure After breakfast, transfer to Casablanca airport in time for departure.