Food Tours · Tour

Snails, Sheep's Head and Chebakia: Two Medina Routes

Three hours through the Medina starting at golden hour and finishing after dark, which is when Marrakech is at its best. The operator runs two itineraries and does not tell you in advance which one you get; it depends on the guide, the season and how the day is going. Both are worth having, and they are genuinely different. The first is the sweet-and-savoury route: coconut macaroons, kaab ghzal, the almond pastry scented with orange blossom, harira soup with dates and chebakia, the way Moroccans break the fast in Ramadan, then babbouche, snails simmered in a herbal broth, mint tea with msemmen, fakya, and the olives, green and creamy or red and tossed with parsley and coriander. Dinner is salad and a tagine at a local restaurant, with raib, a homemade yogurt, after. The second is the street food route, and it is braver: msemen amer stuffed with spiced vegetables, harira and chebakia again, makkla bel kefta which is Morocco's answer to shakshouka, sfenj doughnuts, cactus fruit, and rass mbekher, steamed sheep's head with cumin, which is a delicacy here and is sometimes swapped for shawarma or falafel. Panache to drink, and khoudenjal, the hot galangal infusion. Dinner is an open-air chwa, a Moroccan barbecue of beef, turkey and liver. Either way there may be a stop at a herbalist's for spices, mint tea and a break. Up to fifteen people, in English or French, with a certified local guide, all the tastings, dinner and the tea. The sit-down dinner does not run during Ramadan. Tell them after booking if you are vegetarian or have other dietary needs. Hotel pick-up is not included.