Morocco Cuisine, Culture and Gastronomy Tour

Upon arrival in Marrakech, our representative will meet you outside the Arrival Terminal with a sign. A brief review of the tour during your transfer to the riad. Check-in and relax.

If time permits, you can enjoy the facilities of the riad or be picked up for a must-do activity in Morocco like a hammam offering scrubs and massages, or a camel ride at The Palmeraie in Marrakech.

Then, a welcome dinner in a traditional Moroccan restaurant in the Medina awaits you.

Overnight Riad.

After breakfast, enjoy a tour of Marrakesh with a local guide. Start at the square and market place Djemaa el Fna, Marrakesh’s heartbeat surrounded by bazaars, food-stalls, mosques, terraced cafés, snake charmers, fire-eaters, and fortune- tellers.

After the visit, stop at the Koutoubia Minaret, the oldest of the three great Almohad towers, and the Bahia Palace, a marvelous display of painted wood, ceramics, and symmetrical gardens.

Continue the walking tour through the old Medina and the labyrinths of the souks.

Then, get ready for a bakery-focused cooking class where you’ll learn all about the secrets of Moroccan crepes, doughnuts, and bread making.

Dinner on your own, but your guide will make suggestions of local favourite restaurants.

After dinner, back to your riad for overnight.

Moroccan cuisine is reputed to be among the best cuisines in the world. This is due to using a lot of fresh ingredients and a big variety of spices. It is a combination of Amazigh (Berber), African, Arabic and Andalusian cuisine.

Today, continue your journey to discover the origins and secrets of this amazing cuisine.

After breakfast, you’ll take a day trip to Ouirgane, located about 90-min. from Marrakech, in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.

With a gentle Winter and a moderate Summer, this heart of the Berber countryside is ecologically rich with abundant citrus trees and rose gardens.

In Ourigane, you’ll have a cooking class with a Berber family.

Learn about the many centuries old traditional dishes, that are still prepared in the Berber villages to this day.

If time allows there is the possibility of a hike to meet Berbers in the remote mountains.

Transfer to Marrakech. The rest of the evening is at leisure.

Dinner on your own but restaurant suggestions will be given to allow you to continue your gastronomic journey.

Overnight at the riad.

Today you will explore the street foods of Marrakech with an award winning local Chef. The whole day day is a total immersion in Marrakechi life. A combination of culinary delights, along with sharing in and experiencing the lives of the local residents, as you meet stall holders and local shoppers alike.

With Chef as your guide you’ll explore the best street food in the city, from sfenj, sheep head and tangia to pastries and more exotic dishes. Plus, visit the Morocco Food Museum.

Your tour begins with a visit to the famous Mellah market, the Old Jewish Market with its vegetables, fruits, poultry, meat, honey, herbs, and flowers on display. Watch the locals going about their business as you savour the vibrant colours, sounds and scents. Also, watch the old-fashioned way of making phyllo dough.

After the market, stop for your first food tasting: doughnuts and bissara (purée of dry fava bean soup with olive oil, cumin and paprika).

Then, to the spice shop to learn about the mixtures of the aromatic spices used in the traditional and revisited Modern Moroccan Cuisine.

On route to the Medina, make a stop at the traditional communal bakery where Moroccan families bring their homemade bread to bake.

Stroll through the old part of the Medina and Jemma el F’na to reach the entrance of themarket. Get ready to taste the tangia, a Marrakchi specialty, which is a meat dish seasoned with cumin and lemon confit prepared and cooked in a clay pottery made only for this purpose.

Then cross the other side of the market to learn about olive preparation and to the dry meat shops for a sandwich.

End your tour with a walk through the souk to stop at a snails’ stall that you are welcome to taste.

The rest of the day is at leisure. Dinner on your own – based on recommendations from Chef.

Overnight to the hotel.

After breakfast, depart for a day trip to Essaouira, where you will have free time to explore the city.

Although originally Portuguese, Essaouira was fortified by the well-known French architect Vauban, and is a long-established settlement for a large Jewish population.

Essaouira has also become a popular centre for artists and intellectuals.

Stop for lunch at the Fish Market of Essaouiria. This is one of the best places to eat fish in Morocco: you choose the fish from the stall – enjoying the entertainment while the fish is being grilled in front of you.

After lunch visit Domaine Val d’Argan where a Moroccan wine tasting awaits you with delicious small local ‘nibbles’ to eat.

Return to Marrakech. Dinner on your own.

Overnight at the riad.

Time for a relaxed and unforgettable day on a farm in the countryside just outside the city – with your host, a New York Times 3-star Executive Chef.

On arrival, a welcome drink is served by the Farm host, followed by a tour of the property that is surrounded by the spectacular High Atlas Mountains.

Enjoy a 20-min. meditation on the roof of the farmhouse. If you wish for a yoga class that can also be arranged.

A light lunch will be served, and if the weather is suitable you may take a dip in the pool, or take a walk in the countryside.

Around 4PM you’ll start the cookery masterclass, starting with picking up vegetables from the garden (if the season permits), before bringing them to the kitchen. Here Chef will guide and teach you to create flavoursome Moroccan dishes – sharing his secrets and experience.

Once you have honed your new Moroccan cooking skills you will indulge in the food you have prepared. As your day winds down, a Moroccan tea or coffee can be served after dinner to witness the sun setting behind the mountains.

After a few more final tips and pointers from Chef, return to your Riad for overnight. To dream about your guests delight at your delicious Moroccan themed dinner once you are home!

After breakfast,transfer to Marrakech airport for your return flight.

Or you might prefer to stay on for more adventures in Morocco which we can also organise.