Moroccan Cooking Class

Our riad has consistently served the best food we’ve had in Fez, so we were excited to have the opportunity to take a cooking class here.  We started the day by going to the market to shop for ingredients, although the staff didn’t really need anything so they mostly just showed us around.

Buying cilantro

Buying cilantro

Back at the riad, the staff dressed us in chef’s coats and aprons and we looked awfully proud of ourselves for some reason:

IMG_4641

IMG_4639

Our menu was a few different Moroccan salads, chicken with preserved lemons and olives, and a frozen nougat dessert.  The cook was a really sweet woman who spoke to us in a combination of French and Arabic while another staff member did her best to translate.  We all enjoyed joking together and nodding eagerly over the few French words we understood.  We were entrusted with tiny blades that were basically x-acto knives, which meant we weren’t any great help in the kitchen when it came to chopping onions or garlic.  That was ok though – it seemed our main responsibility was to watch and drink tea.

The cook did all the real food preparation

Preparing the preserved lemon and onion sauce

Breads were also being prepared while we were in the kitchen

Breads were also being prepared while we were in the kitchen

Hot bread

Hot bread

For dinner we ate the meal that we’d “helped” prepare.  Even though I don’t think I’m taking many cooking tips home with me, we really enjoyed getting to know the staff better and learning some of the kitchen secrets, like the fact that the creamy dessert the staff swore was non-dairy is about half creme fraiche.

Everything was delicious and beautiful, as always.

IMG_4672

IMG_4673

IMG_4674

Tiara