Exploring the Medina in Marrakech
A highlight of our stay in Marrakech was our trip to the souks in Medina. Medina is the old section of the city and the souks are the market stalls. We spent the majority of a day shopping and eating in the souks.
We were worried that since my Mom, sis, and I are all blond that we might stick out too much and receive unwanted attention. It actually wasn't much different than going to the markets in Italy. 2 things did help united states out. Outset, nosotros wore conservative clothing that covered u.s. from the shoulders to the knees. Secondly, we hired guides.
The souks are massive – this photo but shows a mall section of the Medina from above. It's an overwhelming maze that is difficult to navigate. We hired a local guide to lead u.s. while we went shopping. He took us to several dissimilar souks selling carpets, metalwork, spices, article of clothing, and leather goods. He was a straightforward guide that took us from identify to identify making sure we didn't get lost, but he didn't teach united states much near the Medina.
We had thought that having a guide might help us to get ameliorate deals, and to avoid people trying to aggressively sell us stuff. When nosotros returned to the souks on our own, nosotros learned the opposite was true. The guides are in on the deal at the souks, and people seemed to be charging us more than. We had an easier time on our ain in the souks.
There is some astonishing shopping in the souks. I bought a massive rug/coating that is then large that information technology is being cut in one-half. I likewise picked upward some beautiful ceramic bowls. The ceramics were stunning, but I didn't want to purchase too much for fearfulness that it wouldn't make it abode in 1 slice. I establish the comfiest slipper shoes. And my favorite purchase was a Berber wedding blanket with sequins that will await smashing on my new couch.
My sister loved the metal lanterns. I wanted to purchase some of the big lanterns but I wasn't sure that I had a spot to put them at home. Nosotros all bought spices, and Mom picked up mini tagines that are used to hold salt and pepper.
Conveniently, y'all are able to pay with credit carte du jour at the souks, and shipping is bachelor. I paid $200 for my massive rug/blanket and the cost included the aircraft. I thought it was a dandy bargain. I came to Kingdom of morocco set to shop – I brought a big empty duffle bag with me – something I tend to do when I am traveling internationally.
At night we shifted gears and met up with Noura for a iii-hour food tour. I highly recommend this. In that location tin be a linguistic communication barrier in the souks, then it might be hard to understand what is in each food without the help of a guide. Noura was able to make sure that vegetarians and people with gluten allergies were served foods they could eat. Going with a guide also gave us extra reassurance that nosotros wouldn't finish upwards with nutrient poisoning.
We ate so much on the food tour! We started off at a tiny restaurant in the souks and had beef tagine, steamed lamb, and lamb tanjia. This was a big meal for the beginning of the tour, but it was so good that I couldn't end eating it.
A tanjia is similar to a tagine, but it is cooked in an urn shaped clay pot. We thought it tasted similar to tagine. I was glad that I got a hazard to endeavour this. The super friendly edge control agent at the airport recommended it. (Seriously, this guy was well-nigh too friendly for his job – he was striking up conversations with everyone … so the line didn't move very quickly).
I loved the savory pancakes that were filled with tomatoes and onions. These pancakes are only made past women, and are served rolled up.
Sometimes the pancakes are served with cheese, or plain with toppings on the side. We ate these pancakes for breakfast in the desert, and we either drizzled them with dearest or spread nutella on top.
Adjacent we got doughnuts that were served dipped in dear. Doughnuts are best when they are fresh and warm, and these were being made to order. The love in Morocco was lighter in flavor and consistency and information technology's institute in many recipes. We couldn't stop talking virtually how much we liked information technology.
Sardines are a local specialty, and we stopped to endeavor sardine cakes. These were made from footing upward sardines that were formed into patties and cooked. They are served with a sauce made of diced tomatoes. I am not going to lie, this wasn't my favorite nutrient on the tour.
The couscous stand was run by women and it was our favorite stop. The couscous was made past being steamed three times in a special pot, and it was served with bit chunks of potatoes and carrots on peak with a low-cal vegetable broth.
The terminal stop was at a bakery where they fabricated the near delicious cookies. Many of the cookies in Morocco are fabricated with almond and nut flours. You don't hear much about Moroccan cookies in the U.Due south. and that is a shame because they are wonderful.
If you find yourself in Marrakech, gear up aside a clamper of one day to visit the souks in the Medina. We all loved the food tour (here is a link), and I think it was 100% worth the cost, particularly because the fact that none of us got sick from the food. I would exist a fleck nervous to try food at the souks otherwise.
Source: https://thekittchen.com/exploring-medina-marrakech/
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