A Moroccan Cooking Experience at Riad Anata

August 17, 2018 Christine

“Little by Little, the camel goes into the couscous”

— Moroccan Proverb

There is no better way to get to know a country, than to explore its cuisine. Food speaks volumes about culture and history. It feeds the stomach and the soul. When visiting a new country, I love to attend cooking classes and immerse myself in the local flavors. When I travelled to Morocco, I also hoped for the opportunity to encounter the souks as a local. Taking a cooking class in Fez turned out to be a great way to not only immerse ourselves in the souks, but also the Moroccan cuisine and culture.

Riad Anata — the perfect class. Every Moroccan dish has a story that extends back many hundreds of years.

The kitchen at Riad Anata is run by Samira, a wonderful Moroccan women, the class offers not only the opportunity to learn how to cook authentic local dishes, but a chance to obtain the ingredients in the most Moroccan of environments, the souks. Note — the market may not be suitable to those with a sensitive stomach or nose.

Carrying a tote bag and a list of ingredients, we made our way through various sections of the souks, as we shopped with a purpose. Samira calmly haggled with the merchants, settling on a fair price for everything we wanted. We purchased items from specific stalls, at which Samira regularly purchased groceries, and as we ventured throughout the market she explained local customs and how to select the best ingredients. After selecting the vegetables on our shopping list by hand it was time to head back to the rooftop of Riad Anata, where we spent the afternoon cooking, using the ingredients from the souks.

The Menu

Fresh Salad with Cucumbers and Tomato

Traditional Corn Soup

Chicken Tagine with Vegetables

Fresh Fruit topped with mint

Back at Riad Anata’s kitchen, we had the pleasure of cooking with Chef Samira. A friendly and always smiling lady — she is a master cook.

We were each given an apron and directed to a station, where we began chopping up fresh ingredients for our dishes.

Spices are key in a Moroccan cooking class! Cumin, paprika, chili and turmeric; spices delicately punctuating our tagine, without overpowering them. Here, in the open air kitchen, a beautiful breeze carried the delightful aromas of Moroccan cuisine upward. I always thought there was a particular mix of spices, but actually there can be over 30 different spices in one dish. Chicken, red meat, fish and couscous dishes all have a different mix giving the dish a distinct color and smell.

In many recipes tagines get cooked in the oven, but this isn’t the Moroccan way to do it. Samira explained they should be cooked on the stove top, using a plain tagine, not one of the pretty painted ones that are really for decoration. Tagine is probably the most frequently served dish in Morocco. And while in Morocco, one has to try it at least once. There are literally endless versions of this Moroccan dish, but on this day we sampled Samira’s version.

While the tagine cooked we chopped up more fresh ingredients and prepared a husky corn soup. I can’t recall the Moroccan name of this soup, but Chef Samira had made specifically made this in place of traditional couscous due to the fact that I had expressed a gluten sensitivity. Riad Anata was accommodating throughout our entire stay at offering alternative options that were gluten free.

Finally came the unveiling of the fruits of our labor the unveiling of the tagine, soup and salad. It was as good, if not better, as any meal I’d had in a restaurant in Morocco.

And to bring the short afternoon to an end, we enjoyed our creations on Riad Anata’s rooftop terrace. One thing is for sure, our work didn’t disappoint our tastebuds.

Riad Anata is the place to be whether you’re looking for a cooking class or a place to stay while in Fez. Our experience at Riad Anata was wonderful due to the friendly, helpful staff and the location of this stunning riad. The staff was so accommodating in assisting us to plan day trips, tours and even giving recommendations on great places to eat in Fez. We had such an amazing time learning to cook traditional Moroccan dishes with Samira and we look forward to having people over for dinner to impress them with our new skills.