Food is part of the travelling experience.

A guest post by Julie from Melbourne, Australia.

I’m just back from a trip to Morocco and the food was wonderful too, though with temperatures in the low to mid 40s, I did not eat a great deal at times. I lived on orange juices. These were freshly squeezed in front of your eyes and readily available everywhere. Along with ubiquitous mint tea, wonderfully refreshing. Moroccan food is full of fragrant and unusual flavor and aroma combinations, achieved through the use of cinnamon, ginger, saffron, cumin, pepper and coriander. For me three Moroccan dishes define the cuisine: couscous, tagines and bisteeya.

I was rather “tagine’d” out by the end of the trip, but I did make one wonderful food discovery – bisteeya (sometimes also spelt “bastillas” or “pastillas”). A fine crisp flaky pastry (rather like our filo pastry) wrapped around shredded velvety melting chicken and ingredients. I particularly loved the chicken and almond pastillas I ate. I also tried the tradition Fez dish of pigeon pastilla (pigeon pie!). Very gamey and rich. Wonderful for a special occasion or a feast.

The aspect that makes pastillas so special is the unusual combination of savoury and sweet, as the top of the pastry has a lines of aromatic cinnamon and fine sugar on top. The sweet cinnamon and savoury chicken mixture are a super and exotic combination and the textures of crisp flaky pastry and soft casserole-like filling is divine.

I come across a fabulous small restaurant in Essaouira. I had two wonderful lunches, so if you’re passing that way do drop in. It’s called ‘Restaurant des Reves’ (“Restaurant of Dreams”), 2 Av Side Med Ben Abdellah, Rue Sidi Ahmed Ouharoon, Essaouria.

Map

TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Morocco

Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen

One Great Reason to Visit Morocco

One great reason to visit Morocco is the experience Moroocu cuisine first hand – wonderful Moroccan food can be found in a variety of settings – from roadside cafes, a delightful restauants,night-time stalls in the great square in Marrakesh ‘Djemaa al Fna’ … and if you’re lucky enough to be invited into a family home for some home-cooking consider yourself truly fortunate.

Chicken Pastilla (accompanied by great, local music)

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