Morocco with Jose Salazar

Salam alaikum! Welcome to Marrakech, the heart of a 1,000-year-old desert empire at the confluence of southern Europe and Africa. Marrakech is an intoxicating blend of the ancient and the modern, a culinary cross-roads reaching back millennia.

We’ll meet up with Jose at our hotel, and dive right in. Our first order of business: a morning to explore Marrakech’s warren of medieval souks and narrow lanes, stopping at Morocco’s largest mosque, Koutoubia, and at the 19th-century Palais Bahia. Then, we’ll wander through market stalls overflowing with rich and pungent spices, the centerpiece for tonight’s hands-on cooking collaboration with Jose Salazar and a local Marrakech chef. We’re creating our own dinner tonight, feasting on Moroccan delicacies and toasting to our adventures to come.

Our themes for today are culture and cuisine, starting with a morning visit to the Moroccan Culinary Arts Museum. This former riad (residential palace) showcases a rich journey through Morocco’s culinary heritage and local cuisines. We’ll meet the chefs behind the museum over tea and traditional pastries.

Lunch at Le Jardin is hyperlocal, casual and authentic, set in the lush courtyard of a 16th-century residence. We’ll treat ourselves to all kinds of traditional deliciousness— anything from scratch hummus and couscous to lamb shoulder simmered in carrot puree and tarragon-brushed octopus in romesco sauce.

The afternoon is ours to relax and recharge at our hotel’s spa and hammam (Turkish-style bath), or maybe to explore deeper in the city’s medina.

In the early evening we’ll dive into the buzzing heart of the city, Djemaa El Fna. At night this square is a vast open-air show filled with soothsayers and snake charmers, musicians and acrobats. We’ll taste our way through its bustling stalls for dinner on the move, sampling Morocco’s traditional street foods: harira soups, grilled sardines, fried maakouda fritters and, yes, steaming bowls of fragrant babbouche (snails).

Amal is a nonprofit created by Nora Fitzgerald Belahcen, an American-Moroccan who first conceived of Amal to help disadvantaged women from Marrakech to build culinary skills and, ultimately, a better life. We’ll meet the trainees and chefs of Amal, and join them for a delicious farm-to-table lunch. 

After lunch we head into the Atlas Mountains, swapping African, French and Arabic influences for Berber. The Saharan Berbers—who call themselves Amazigh, or “free people”—have ruled unconquered for thousands of years. They were once instrumental in setting up trade networks between North Africa and the Middle East; today they live in scattered communities in the Atlas Mountains. We’ll check in and relax at our blissful mountain retreat, then reconvene for dinner to celebrate this next phase of our journey.

Awake in serene luxury, as sunshine filters gently through our kasbah’s terrace windows. After breakfast we drive to the village of Imil, to lace up our walking shoes and hike the stunning foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The views are as rewarding as our traditional Amazigh lunch with a local family. They’ll also be our guides in a hands-on workshop preparing dishes of the region like msemmen (flat bread), an aromatic delicacy either stuffed with fillings like kefta and onions or herbs and vegetables, and local tagines.

Back at the kasbah, the rest of the afternoon is ours to take advantage of our stunning surroundings: pick herbs in the garden to make your own tea, relax in the hammam spa, or simply reflect on this magical journey with a poolside cocktail. We’ll meet back up for dinner.

We say goodbye to the Atlas Mountains and transfer to Fes, Morocco’s second-largest city and one of its most perfectly preserved. We’ll spend a lot of time on the road today, but fortune is smiling upon us. Domaine de la Zounia, one of Morocco’s most storied wineries just happens to be on the way. We’ll stop here for an education in North African viticulture through a nuanced tasting and expertly paired late-afternoon dinner.

After dinner, we’ll make our way to Fes. Dating from the 8th century, Fes was for centuries the ‘Athens of Africa’ and a gathering place for the Islamic world’s brightest minds; it’s still a cultural and culinary beacon. Fes’ walled-in medina is the most magical in all of Morocco, beautifully stuck in time with donkeys pulling carts along narrow, cobbled car-free lanes. We’ll dive right in and explore the labyrinth of narrow passages, visiting souks and market stalls and meeting some of the local artisans: coppersmiths, goldsmiths, carpenters, glass makers, weavers, potters and more.

This morning it’s back out to explore deeper into Fes’ medina and souks, and especially the leather tanneries. The largest and oldest—more than 1,000 years old—is Chouara Tannery, an otherworldly landscape of stone vessels filled with dye and hides, everything from cow and goat to camel, drying in the fierce sun. The process is essentially unchanged since medieval times, and utterly unforgettable.

Then it’s back to the market stalls for a tasting-tour lunch, discovering the most delicious of Fes’ traditional street foods, and gathering herbs and spices for our meal tonight, as we go. In the evening, gathered on our hotel’s rooftop overlooking the ancient skyline, Jose Salazar and a local chef will lead us in a hand-on cooking workshop, crafting a dinner to remember and a cultural exchange that goes well beyond the list of ingredients.

This morning we drive past past golden foothills and lush farmland to N’zala Bni Amir, a humble village that’s home to a cooperative designed, made and run exclusively by women. Focused on traditional Fessi embroidery and textile work, N’zala is paving the way for girls and women a chance to earn an income and gain independence, while also keeping alive an incredible art form. We’ll meet some of the women of N’zala, and also share a different kind of art they’re passionate about: baking. We’ll roll up our sleeves and make pastry and bread with village masters, followed by a traditional homemade lunch with the incredible women of N’zala.

Back in Fes, the evening is ours to explore the city and markets, or simply to relax at the hotel.

Our culinary exploration continues, this time through the lens of Sephardic cooking. In the 1500s, Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition landed by the thousands in Morocco, home for centuries to the Muslim world’s largest community of Jews. A small and vibrant Jewish community remains today. We’ll explore the deep influence of Jewish traditions on Morocco’s cuisine at afternoon devoted to hands-on Sephardic cooking. And, of course, we’ll eat our own delicious creations for lunch.

The afternoon is ours to relax, and maybe visit a favorite souk or leather stall, before we regroup for a farewell feast. Chef Najat Kaanache has had a storied career, working in restaurants from Dallas to Morocco, hosting her own Moroccan cooking show and opening Nur, her answer to traditional Moroccan food with an avant-garde spin. It’s a 10-course farewell celebration to define all farewell celebrations, and a perfect end to our joyful journey together.

Alas, our time together has come to an end, but our hearts and bellies are brimming with Morocco. We’ll bid farewell to Jose and our fellow Modern Adventurists, and transfer to Fes airport.