Morocco Time

Now I’m indulging in my traditional “after l’ftour” activities - watching 2M and messing about on the web. BTW, why is it that every time they have the music program, at the end of the show, they say “And now, some folklore!” And guess what it is? (98% of the time) Gnaoua. Sheesh. Give me a break. I mean, the music is great and all, but there’s only so many times you can listen to the same vocal patterns of “Ah-why, why why why…” with the gimbri going like mad.

Here’s something that made me nearly fall out of my chair laughing:

“Ouarzazate : Eau de Toilette
by Comme des Garcons Series 3: Incense

The high Atlas mountain city of Ouarzazate (pronounced war-za-zat) in Morocco was the inspiration of this masterpiece. At its opening, a sweet, balsamic tang of labdanum absolute quickly followed by zesty pepper tickles your nose. As it warms on the skin, the softly herbal clary sage (for which Morocco’s is hailed as among the finest in the world) blends with a now-calm pepper and nutmeg to make Ouarzazate a crossroads of perfectly blended, spiced incense of the Middle Eastern variety. We close our eyes and imagine we’re in the cool, still interior of Ouarzazate’s famous Kasbah.

Ouarzazate notes
incense, pepper, nutmeg, clary sage, wenge, musk, vanilla, labdanum absolute, Kashmir wood”

Oh yeah, I’m getting a sample of THAT. After all, who wouldn’t want to smell like Ouarzazate? All kidding aside, the perfumes Le Maroc pour Elle and Aqaba are both lovely, so I really will get a sample. I’m trying to think of a funny way to ask my husband what I smell like without him getting the wrong idea.

What I would be eating in Morocco:

- dates
- mint tea
- harira
- kefta tagine
- bread made by Hamou’s sister Zinba (flat bread with spices on the inside, sometimes called “Berber pizza”)
- hard boiled eggs
- kiri cheese or la vache qui rit

What I’m eating tonight: (Hamou’s at work, so it’s just me)

- dates
- mortadella sausage (halal, of course)
- kiri cheese
- lentil soup with paneer (yes, mixing cultures)
- moroccan khobz (I’m making it)
- baklava
- peach nectar
- Mt. Dew

I know it seems like a lot, but I’m not making very big batches. Probably a cup of soup, a few chunks of sausage, a few dates, etc…

Hope everyone is able to be with their families for this wonderful Ramadan season - whether you fast or not!

While getting ready for Ramadan, we have now visited a total of five stores that cater to the Muslim community. We still haven’t found one that sells sweet paprika, but I can get that elsewhere.

So what did we buy today?

- fresh ground cumin
- lentils
- tomato paste
- flat bread
- white beans (for bean soup)
- foul
- garlic (توما)
- green chiles
- a new teapot
- sardines (not for me, yuck)
- box of dates (Tunisian)
- farina

Great, now this has become a blog that talks about what I have for dinner.

In the last month, I’ve had two packages from people who’ve picked up special items for me in Morocco - whee! It’s almost my birthday, so perfect timing.

Package #1 : From Aimee, a whole container of sabon beldi! I’ve been singing in the shower every morning since I got it!

Package #2 : From Loreen, a small plastic packet of sabon beldi (now in my purse for emergencies) and a packet of saffron!

I can’t wait to use the saffron in a tagine, mmmm. It’s going to smell like home. Thanks both of you, and you’ll be getting emails soon with more gushing about soap and saffron uses…

Hamou and I really love shopping at World Market - ok, him, not as much, but he tolerates it, which is saying something. They have a whole section of foods from various countries, like Manner wafers (made by a branch of my family in Austria!), all kinds of Japanese candy, Devon Custard/Spotted Dick, etc…

In their ethnic cooking area, we found a line of foods called ‘Al Fez,’ made by First Quality Foods in Bristol. After cracking up a little bit, we decided to get the “Moroccan Style Dinner Kit.” You know, it wasn’t really Moroccan, but it wasn’t bad, either. I had to explain to the co-chef that his suggestions of “adding more ???? and ????” defeated the whole purpose of a KIT, but after we got past that, we dug in.