Tea and Cake in Marrakech
August 1st 2008 01:54
The Djamaa El Fna in Marrakech defies all description. Take a new years eve fireworks extravaganza, the key acts of a Cirque de Soleil and the exuberance of San Sebastian’s Carnivale, combine them with a hundred over-stimulated Jamie Oliver’s cooking and barking in the open air and you have the historic, bustling food and entertainment centre of Marrakech, Morocco. Every night of the week.
Recently recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site representing communication of Arabic traditions and myths through the ages, the square which is relatively tame during the day takes on an animalistic insanity come 7pm. While snake charmers, acrobats and soothsayers hock their talents at the edges of the square, the centre transforms into an extended outdoor restaurant flanked by forceful, and often aggressive, spruikers flogging their gastronomic wares.
This is a budget food lover’s paradise. For less that AU$5 you can indulge in a multi course extravaganza showcasing the best North Africa has to offer. Kick start your tastebuds with a hot bowl of harira. A traditional Moroccan soup, harira is a tomato based sensation bringing together lemon, chicken, chick peas, rice and onions served with a plate of sweet dried figs. Wedge yourself in at the bench between Moroccan families grabbing a bite to eat on their way home and enjoy.
Onto the next stall and steaming tagines of chicken and preserved lemon or lamb, sweet prunes and almonds are clichéd but unmissable. A long bench nearby seats many locals snacking on tiny grilled sausages served with bread and fried onions. Simple but as the jostling crowds testify, brilliant. However, as is the case in most cultures, dessert takes centre stage and bows before an admiring audience. To say mint tea is synonomous with Moroccan cuisine is to state the obvious. This tea loving devotee had her socks knocked off by its lesser known and infinitely better cousin- cinnamon tea.
Cinnamon tea is, as expected, a deep red steaming delicacy which has a sting in its tail. The peppery tea is spicy and the intensity builds the more you drink. But in the ying and yang world of food, the Moroccans have it sorted. The tea is served with a dumpling of sweet, moist date cake which melts in the mouth with desert goodness. Moroccan date cake is little more than pureed dates and cinnamon bound together with a touch of flour, butter and sugar. Taking the sting out of the tea, the two compliment each other perfectly. Desert dessert perfection.
Recently recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site representing communication of Arabic traditions and myths through the ages, the square which is relatively tame during the day takes on an animalistic insanity come 7pm. While snake charmers, acrobats and soothsayers hock their talents at the edges of the square, the centre transforms into an extended outdoor restaurant flanked by forceful, and often aggressive, spruikers flogging their gastronomic wares.
This is a budget food lover’s paradise. For less that AU$5 you can indulge in a multi course extravaganza showcasing the best North Africa has to offer. Kick start your tastebuds with a hot bowl of harira. A traditional Moroccan soup, harira is a tomato based sensation bringing together lemon, chicken, chick peas, rice and onions served with a plate of sweet dried figs. Wedge yourself in at the bench between Moroccan families grabbing a bite to eat on their way home and enjoy.
Onto the next stall and steaming tagines of chicken and preserved lemon or lamb, sweet prunes and almonds are clichéd but unmissable. A long bench nearby seats many locals snacking on tiny grilled sausages served with bread and fried onions. Simple but as the jostling crowds testify, brilliant. However, as is the case in most cultures, dessert takes centre stage and bows before an admiring audience. To say mint tea is synonomous with Moroccan cuisine is to state the obvious. This tea loving devotee had her socks knocked off by its lesser known and infinitely better cousin- cinnamon tea.
Cinnamon tea is, as expected, a deep red steaming delicacy which has a sting in its tail. The peppery tea is spicy and the intensity builds the more you drink. But in the ying and yang world of food, the Moroccans have it sorted. The tea is served with a dumpling of sweet, moist date cake which melts in the mouth with desert goodness. Moroccan date cake is little more than pureed dates and cinnamon bound together with a touch of flour, butter and sugar. Taking the sting out of the tea, the two compliment each other perfectly. Desert dessert perfection.
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