Cooking and Eating Out in Morocco

The owner of this 5 burner stove spends a minimum of 4 hours in  the kitchen daily

One of the most striking things about Moroccan people is that they while the love most things American, they have not embraced our fast food culture.  Meals are prepared all day, every day from scratch.  Most women bake their on bread several times a week.  For mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, there is tea time at home.  Shops will close and schools empty as workers, teachers and students go on break at midday.  Families eat most of their meals together--breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Moroccan women spend 4 to 6 hours in the kitchen everyday, more if there is a special occasion such as an engagement party, or if relatives have come to town to stay for a few days.  At such times, the women will divide the tasks and work together.  For all-out shindigs like weddings, they will hire extra women and rent restaurant-size pots and serving platters.



Left over from party preparation: a propane tank, one of the stand-alone burners, and assorted pots that were too large to fit on the stove.

Prep time takes longer when everything is made from scratch. Fruits and vegetable are generally fresh, in season, not frozen or canned.  You want green beans?  You have to snap them.  Peas?  You get to shell them.  Think you'll want strawberries this winter?  I hope you remember to freeze some last spring.  The incentive to do-it-yourself is simple economics: frozen foods cost probably 3 times as much as fresh.  Who can afford that on a regular basis?

When you travel to someone's home, they would never presume that you picked up a burger and fries along the way.  They will immediately serve you tea or coffee, breads and pastries.  Then they will cook a big meal.  Then they will feed you more tea, coffee, breads or pastries to send you on your way.

Don't get me wrong, stores sell plenty of chocolate, chips and soda.  You can find all sorts of restaurants and American fast-food franchises.  There are desert shops that sell cake by the slice along with banana and avacado smoothies. There are lots of reputable street vendors whose wares are, fortunately, much better than those of  Terry Pratchett's Dibbler.  But generally speaking, there are only 3 reasons for eating out: as a necessity, as a special occasion, or as an unconscionable waste of money. 

So if you feel that cooking is a big headache, then come as a visitor.  If you're planning to stay in Morocco, you better bring your apron.