Granted, I haven't been there but I love everything thing I have read, seen in books or on the internet, the food I have eaten and the music I have heard. And OH! the smell of the spices. That, in itself is worth wanting to go there.
Morocco! Just saying the name invites intrigue.
Marrakesh! Another word of intrigue. Just the word lights me up.
Nestled at the foot of the snow capped Atlas mountains. Marrakesh beckons me.
The first place I want to hit when I get there is the souks. Djemaa el Fna. The square bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, water sellers, dancers and musicians. By night food stalls open in the square turning it into a huge busy open-air restaurant.
Sometimes I can smell what I think they will smell like. Spicy and musty, but not musty like mold musty more like intrigue musty. I can also smell animals nearby, food cooking and perfumes. At those times I close my eyes and can hear the venders hocking their wares, haggling with passerby's. I can see others sitting, drinking their tea (I hope that I am invited to sit and have mint tea with someone) and people watching like I would be doing. I would be in heaven weaving in and out of the alleys looking at the food and other items that are new to me but the place I am really looking for is the spices.
I am a spice hound. I love to spice things up when I cook especially with things that are not readily used or not found anywhere near where I live. When we moved 3 and a half years ago I was cleaning out my spice cupboard. I had 78 bottles of spices and herbs. There are not many I have come across that I haven't loved.
I think next I would hunt for a tagine. Or maybe 3 or 4. A tagine is a terra cotta cooking vessel. They have a pot/dish like bottom with a domed or peaked lid that one cooks in. I do not have one at this time but I so want one. Many of the dishes I cook I know would be so much better if only I had a tagine. This is the one I want first.....
Then, this one....
The first one is for cooking. The second one is for serving! How wonderful the food would taste if it arrived on the table served in this amazing vessel. Just looking at this vessel makes my mouth water.
And of course using the cookbook - The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert (once I purchase it) will be a gem in my collection. I do have the previous version but I cannot wait to get this one. Here is a link to her website
http://www.paula-wolfert.com/ There are recipes, articles and much more.
Ya know, Morocco is the first place on my Bucket List to visit. I have been many places and yet I haven't been here. I hope in the near future my number one choice on my list is lovely Morocco.
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