Essaouira | marocmama.com

The Beaches of Mogador (Part Two)

Posted by marocmama on Jan 18, 2012 in Culture | 2 comments

(You can find Part One of this adventure here)

As we walked out across the water I began to wonder where Ismail was taking us. Actually I was really wondering when this horse ride was going to be over. It is safe to say that at this point my back was starting to send me messages I hadn’t heard in awhile. But, he wanted to show us something. I was really hoping that it was something good. We began winding down a sand trail and my eyes caught something in the bushes. There were small white dots all over. As I led the horse a little closer to see what it was I saw that the bushes weren’t dotted – they were loaded with small white dots!

The dots were small shells that had blown up from the ocean and attached to the bushes. It was very cool! We continued our climb and I realized that turning back was not going to happen for awhile. After making a turn we were able to see something cresting over the hill.

Ismail told us that these were the ruins of an old fort. There are many ruins that can be found on the beaches though far away from the “beachy” areas. I’m afraid I don’t know much more about these specific ruins or who built the fort to begin with . It was pretty amazing to walk around them, as they to me were ignored bits of history with no story to accompany them. I wondered who was there to build them and who might have died defending them.

As we began to walk away there was some noise coming from one of the big towers that was still standing. We were so alone in this area and were carrying our bags and a decent amount of money I started to panic. I wondered if this guy had led us all the way out here away from anyone to rob us. Maybe he had a partner who was waiting here and it was all going to happen at that point. I was just about to call out to my husband (the guide didn’t speak English) when I saw a young man sitting at the top of the tower. He was eating a sandwich and drinking a Coke. The fear subsided and I was able to enjoy the rest of our ride.

Although my back might disagree, our horseback ride was a wonderful part of our vacation. It’s something both my husband and I remember and look back on fondly. Essaouira will always be a very special place for us and I’m sure that as our children go we will bring them here to experience everything we love!

I thought this photo was really fun. Both pictures were taken in Essaouira on the beach – kind of funny how six years can make a difference!

Finally if you’re heading to Essaouira and looking for a decent place to stay on a budget I’ll recommend the hotel we found (after searching for like an hour) It’s located in the medina part of the city, close to the ocean and other activities. When we travel I don’t like to stay in fancy American hotels (I can do that here) but love finding riads that are nice and a fraction of the big hotel cost.

Dar Mounia fit the bill. They brought us breakfast in bed after we told them when we wanted it and let us store our luggage with them after we checked out but were still exploring. They also have a lot of add-ons like massage, hammam, and can book horseback riding, quad riding, and a number of other excursions. We paid 300 dirham for the night in a suite that had a fireplace (though we didn’t use it).

Dar Mounia

2, Rue Laalouj – Essaouira

www.darmounia.com

Food Shopping in Essaouira

Posted by marocmama on Jan 16, 2012 in Culture | 3 comments

The medina of Essaouira is 100x’s easier to follow than Marrakech. It’s straight forward without the winding, twisting alleyways that seem to double back and turn in circles. It’s not loaded with products to entice tourists (this is not to say those products don’t exist). It’s a market for the people who live there. Dotted with stalls that sell the products to meet the daily needs of the inhabitants. You’ll find small butcher shops carved out – and you’ll know it’s a butcher because who could miss that? The Scala or fish market is tucked back, but just a little bit. It’s wet and once you enter be careful of where you step. The early morning will have the best selection.

Lining the outer perimeter of the scala are the herbalist and spice purveyors. There are tens of spices waiting to be tried. The best deal however is the sea salt. I bought 2 kilos (nearly a pound) of fantastic sea salt for 2 dirham or 25 cents. If I would have had more room I would have bought more.

My favorite food stall to visit is the olive man. Towering temples of jewel colored olives fill the entire store front. In Essaouira not only are there olives but towers of diced preserved lemons. This is why when you go to Essaouira you need to rent an apartment. With so many fresh, fantastic food options so close at hand you will want to run out and grab whatever you can find and make something great.

The Beaches of Mogador

Posted by marocmama on Jan 12, 2012 in Culture | 1 comment

Bucket List #46 – Ride A Horse on A (almost) Deserted Beach

I have a bad track record with beaches. I do not like to swim in the ocean and I do not like to wear a bathing suit. I do love looking at the ocean. The first time we went to Mogador (Essaouira) the weather was very cold and there was no activity at all on the beach. This time the weather was overcast but we were determined to at least take a walk. It was there we stumbled across horses and camels waiting for tourists to take a ride. I had never ridden a horse (unless you count ponies at the fair), but had taken a very long camel ride and knew I didn’t want to do that again. MarocBaba dutifully chatted up the men with the horses and through the magic of whatever pixie dust he has scored us an hour-long horseback ride for $20 - total.

There is a section of the beach reserved for the animal handlers. Ismail was the gentlemen that took us for a ride (you should really ask for him if you go). Take your pick camel or horse and get ready to explore the unknown.

But hold on tight because riding a horse is NOT as easy as it looks (nor as comfortable). One hour didn’t seem like much to me – but 15 minutes into it ay my back! Down we went across the hard packed sand. Jimi (after Jimi Hendrix of course) my horse was slow to warm up to my direction so there was quite a bit of start and stop action. There comes a point in the journey where the ocean turns to river, or the river to ocean. There I learned we would be crossing said water. My horse slipped on the rocks and I saw myself plummeting down and being trampled to death. OK that’s a bit dramatic but I was scared! Ismail took us to see something very old and interesting……

But you’ll have to wait until next week to find out what!

Essaouira is known for it’s horseback riding and horse trekking. There are numerous reputable agencies to arrange this. Trips can range from a few hours to several days. One hour was long enough for me but if you’re interested in longer treks, check with your hotel or riad and seek out a few options to meet your needs.

Wordless Wednesday: Essaouira Seagull

Posted by marocmama on Jan 11, 2012 in Photography | 1 comment

Ma’akouda – The Moroccan “French Fry”

Posted by marocmama on Jan 10, 2012 in Moroccan Food | 3 comments

It was after a long morning on the beach of Essaouira that we stumbled into the medina to find something for lunch. Well equipped with a list of requests from the rest of the family we found a “snak” stand to place a very large order. It was during this last visit to Morocco that I danced with the idea of vegetarianism having had my fill and then some of meat and chicken. When we went out to eat I was constantly opting for an option without meat. So as we stood placing order after order I glanced into the display case to see what I thought were falafel. My eyes lit up. But when I asked I found out they were not falafel..they were ma’akouda or potato pancakes.

I had never had ma’akouda, nor had I seen them before this visit. I am sure that they can be found in snack shops around the country but for me they will always be synonymous with Essaouira. They were everywhere! Now I have no way of know if this is true but they reminded me a lot of potato latkes, the famous Jewish potato pancake. During the 19th century Essaouira’s Jewish population was about 40% of the total population. There has been a Jewish population in Morocco for the past 2,000 years, reaching 250,000+ people at one point. Israel has a population that is about 15% claiming Moroccan Jewish ancestry. It could certainly be that this was a dish influenced by the Jews of Essaouira.

These potato fritters can be eaten alone or as they are most often, made into a sandwich. They are incredibly easy to make and are sure to please your family. I chose to make this a gluten-free recipe but you can easily make it with regular all-purpose flour.

Ingredients

1/2 lb Yukon Gold or another soft potato
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder or 1/4 of a chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup gluten-free flour
vegetable oil for frying
1 cup gluten free flour for dusting
frying pan

Directions

I like to use a soft skin potato so that I can keep the skin on (that’s where all the nutrients are!). Scrub them well and then place in a pan. Boil the potatoes until soft, remove from heat and allow to cool. Mash.

Add the spices and egg, mixing well. Begin to add the flour slowly, mixing while you go. The dough should be slightly sticky but should not stick to your hands. You may need to add more than the 1/2 cup of flour. Heat the oil to medium. Begin making small balls with the potato mixture. The size is really up to you. Flatten each ball and dust with flour. Add the patties to the oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. Brown on both sides, remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.

Eat warm with your favorite condiment (harissa is tasty!) or make into a sandwich. Traditionally the ma’akouda sandwich is made on a baguette stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, spicy Moroccan mustard and mayo.

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How to Buy A Shark in Morocco

Posted by marocmama on Jan 9, 2012 in Culture | 5 comments

After MarocBaba and I were engaged we took a trip for a few days to Essaouira, a few hours from Marrakech, to spend some time together. When we went to Morocco this past fall we went to Essaouira again. It was almost 7 years from our first visit. We never took a honeymoon and the vacation to Morocco was the first time we both were away from the kids for longer than a week. The whole trip was special for us but going back to Essaouira was something we both really looked forward to. Over the next two weeks my posts will be all about Essaouira. The food, the experiences and a lot of pictures. On Friday and Sunday I will continue to post my series posts (favorite female food bloggers and get real challenge).

In late November I wrote a post about a wonderful lunch we had in the port. On our first visit we skipped out on a lot of the activities related to fishing due to my aversion to all things seafood. This time however we were fully immersed. Generally in Morocco I try to blend in and not seem like the foreigner. I want to be a part of the culture and experience it from the inside. But being in the port I gave up. I carried my camera on my neck and looked around soaking up the experience. We saw very few tourists and many locals purchasing fish and seafood off of the boats. One scenario that unfolded was this;

Can you guess what he’s holding?

Just as we were buying some shrimp I turned around and almost bumped into this man. He had just returned from a morning in the water. The day was very overcast and most fishermen were not going out because of high waves. However, this veteran of the sea had gone out. Before I could see what he was holding I saw his face, well worn with the wind of the sea, browned by the Moroccan sun. His eyes were deep having looked into the waves, across the horizon for many many years. It seemed, as is the case with many older gentlemen, a tear remained continually in the crease of his eye. He was a man who had felt life the width and breadth of it. And he was here to make a deal.

My eyes followed his arm and saw in his hand he grasped the tail of a ….shark. It was my first time seeing a dead shark. I let out an audible gasp realizing he had actually caught that..thing. It hadn’t crossed my mind that sharks might inhabit the waters but why wouldn’t they? Most likely he had gone out alone in a boat and brought in this haul, just enough to get a meal on the table and care for his family. Mskin. A small bull shark (I believe) that brought a crowd of people almost immediately. I don’t know the first thing about cooking a shark and have never come across shark in Moroccan recipes.

As in most transactions the price was high (not as high as I thought it might be) and many men chimed in to offer their best price. But the man was firm in his price. Secretly I was hoping he’d go higher. This was quite a catch – I wanted him to go home with a hefty wallet. We listened as the numbers flew. Mia, Mia arbain, higher and higher. Finally it was sold. 170 dirham…about $20. For a whole shark. Mabrook sidi, mabrook.