FLAVOURS OF MOROCCO
by John Yeo
We boarded a small tourist bus and we were transported through the colourful, very busy streets of the city of Casablanca. The city streets were dusty, noisy and full of traffic, hooting and honking, lined up in very slow-moving jams. There were many small red petit taxis, weaving in and out of the traffic on the very busy streets. The pavemets were full of many pedestrians wearing a mixture of colourful traditional robes and various other outfits and styles of clothing.
Our very knowledgeable guide Naema. pointed out some of the sights of the city and delivered a very informative talk on Moroccon culture. Drought is the main problem here, followed by a very high rate of unemployment. We passed many men on the streets and in the local bars and cafes passing time with nothing to do and no income.
We stopped to view the very impressive Hassan 11 Mosque from the outside. Our guide Naema, informed us this incredible engineering achievement was built to commemorate the 60th birthday of the King, and is set partly in the sea. It has the tallest minaret in Casablanca and will remain the tallest stucture in the city as other high-rise building is not permitted out of respect for the King. This is also the only mosque in Morocco that allows non-Muslims inside, to allow followers of other religions to get an idea of Islam. There is also an unfinished library set in beautiful gardens and a museum. Ironically we had to cut our visit short due to some heavy rainfall, unusual here in this drought-stricken country.
We boarded our minibus to explore a local food market a short drive from the mosque. We stopped on the side of a very busy main road, where we walked through the thronged, bustling city streets and entered a large building that contained the central market. We were greeted by several amazing displays of fruit, vegetables, nuts and spices. Some excellent fish stalls, with an incredible array of different varieties of fish and seafood for sale, also caught our attention.
This market was very unusual for the large number of cats and kittens that were allowed to wander around the stalls, adding novelty and interest to our visit.
Our guide Naema then delivered a very informative talk on the uses that are made of the spices, fruits and vegetables in the preparation of the local food...
Next, after another short drive we made our way to the cookery school, where we enjoyed a refreshing glass of mint tea with cookies. We were presented with printed handouts of recipes to follow, then take home with us after we had finshed our course. We sat around a large table in a classroom, where a French speaking chef, dressed in an unusual black cooking outfit, gave a very interesting, comprehensive demonstration of Moroccon cookery. This was fascinating as we were able to follow the step-by-step cooking procedure with a running commentary in a very accomplished interpretation of the French language by our guide Naema
We were then shown to a dining-room where we sat around some very large tables to enjoy a feast of the freshly prepared food piled high on our plates by the French chef with his very able team of assisstants. We were then presented with a very impressive looking certificate of participation in the course, signed by the principle of the cookery school.
We walked back to our transport, through the always interesting, busy, bustling throngs of people on the steet. We had thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful taste of authentic food and we had met some of the very friendly local people of Casablanca.
Our final stop was a huge souvenir shop, with a wonderful array of goods for sale. Margaret and I purchased some souvenirs of our very memorable visit and experience in Casablanca, Morocco.
Copyright (c) Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved
by John Yeo
We boarded a small tourist bus and we were transported through the colourful, very busy streets of the city of Casablanca. The city streets were dusty, noisy and full of traffic, hooting and honking, lined up in very slow-moving jams. There were many small red petit taxis, weaving in and out of the traffic on the very busy streets. The pavemets were full of many pedestrians wearing a mixture of colourful traditional robes and various other outfits and styles of clothing.
Our very knowledgeable guide Naema. pointed out some of the sights of the city and delivered a very informative talk on Moroccon culture. Drought is the main problem here, followed by a very high rate of unemployment. We passed many men on the streets and in the local bars and cafes passing time with nothing to do and no income.
We stopped to view the very impressive Hassan 11 Mosque from the outside. Our guide Naema, informed us this incredible engineering achievement was built to commemorate the 60th birthday of the King, and is set partly in the sea. It has the tallest minaret in Casablanca and will remain the tallest stucture in the city as other high-rise building is not permitted out of respect for the King. This is also the only mosque in Morocco that allows non-Muslims inside, to allow followers of other religions to get an idea of Islam. There is also an unfinished library set in beautiful gardens and a museum. Ironically we had to cut our visit short due to some heavy rainfall, unusual here in this drought-stricken country.
We boarded our minibus to explore a local food market a short drive from the mosque. We stopped on the side of a very busy main road, where we walked through the thronged, bustling city streets and entered a large building that contained the central market. We were greeted by several amazing displays of fruit, vegetables, nuts and spices. Some excellent fish stalls, with an incredible array of different varieties of fish and seafood for sale, also caught our attention.
This market was very unusual for the large number of cats and kittens that were allowed to wander around the stalls, adding novelty and interest to our visit.
Our guide Naema then delivered a very informative talk on the uses that are made of the spices, fruits and vegetables in the preparation of the local food...
Next, after another short drive we made our way to the cookery school, where we enjoyed a refreshing glass of mint tea with cookies. We were presented with printed handouts of recipes to follow, then take home with us after we had finshed our course. We sat around a large table in a classroom, where a French speaking chef, dressed in an unusual black cooking outfit, gave a very interesting, comprehensive demonstration of Moroccon cookery. This was fascinating as we were able to follow the step-by-step cooking procedure with a running commentary in a very accomplished interpretation of the French language by our guide Naema
We were then shown to a dining-room where we sat around some very large tables to enjoy a feast of the freshly prepared food piled high on our plates by the French chef with his very able team of assisstants. We were then presented with a very impressive looking certificate of participation in the course, signed by the principle of the cookery school.
We walked back to our transport, through the always interesting, busy, bustling throngs of people on the steet. We had thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful taste of authentic food and we had met some of the very friendly local people of Casablanca.
Our final stop was a huge souvenir shop, with a wonderful array of goods for sale. Margaret and I purchased some souvenirs of our very memorable visit and experience in Casablanca, Morocco.
Copyright (c) Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved