El Baraka Angels - Making a Difference

Moroccans are renowned for their generosity of spirit and nothing exemplifies it more than an organisation called El Baraka Angels

Since its creation in 2003 El Baraka Angels has provided assistance to more than 8000 families with seven food distribution caravans, two medical caravans , school renovations, circumcision campaigns, summer camps and programmes of cultural and artistic activities.

This year is the third consecutive year, El Baraka Angels have organise special winter caravans to support rural populations living in isolated mountain areas. This year they have broadened its reach to include the Province of Azilal following an early and unseasonal plunge in temperatures.

This week twenty-five members El Baraka Angels began their eighth food distribution caravan in the mountainous villages of the Province of Azilal, with a load of almost 40 tons of gifts and winter necessities.

The inhabitants of the rural town of Zaouiat Ahensal,  one of the poorest areas and most isolated of the province, will welcome this caravan which will allow 750 families to receive packages to tide them over the extreme cold period until the milder weather returns.

The packages include 42 kg of basic food and non-perishables, blankets and warm clothing for adults and children.

"In towns in the rural areas, the mobilisation of civil society in times of extreme cold is essential. For us, besides being an important support for these families, these caravans allow us to study the field and identify new enclaves for our projects supporting education, school renovation, medical caravans and very soon also income generation, projects" - Selwa Zine, President of the El Baraka Angels Association.

In 2016 the association is preparing for a renovation project that will improve fifteen schools in mountainous rural areas. It has already completed six school renovations and another is underway in the rural commune of Dayet Aoua.

After completing the first trip this week, members and volunteers of El Baraka Angels will take a second caravan in less than a fortnight, this time towards the Ifrane Province for the benefit of another 750 other families located there that they have been assisting for the past three years. The association intends to conduct sustainable and lasting support actions for the populations in the hundreds of mountain villages that make up the province.

The High Atlas and Middle Atlas regions have been the scene of tragedies in the past caused by the extreme cold.  In 2006 reports described the death of over thirty people including eight children.  At the time the deaths angered local inhabitants who began a march to raise awareness of  the living conditions in these villages.  The following year there were reports of the deaths of thirty people including four women and twenty-six babies.

A child in Anfgou

In December 2012, social networks, national and international media focused on the death of an infant in Anfgou, a landlocked village in the Middle Atlas, where temperatures dropped to -16 Celsius.

Following the death in Anfgou there was a national reaction with in-kind donations valued at more than more 600 000 Dirhams (60,000 USD) collected and then sent to the region.

To support the actions of the El Baraka Association you can make a donation by cheque or bank transfer:
Account name: El Baraka Angels
Account Number: 007 810 24 0001055000000210
Swift Code International BCMAMAMC
Agency Attijari Wafabank, Avenu de France, Rabat

"Death will always have to keep you company, ease your suffering by collecting the souls exhausted by time and winds of winter..." -  Hassan Oumada

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A Gourmet Cheese Tasting in the Middle Atlas

A selection of goats cheese produced by Domaine de la Pommeraie

Last weekend saw an assortment of riad and restaurant owners take a break from the busy season in Fez and trek out towards Immouzer on a quest for goat's and sheep's cheese, writes Vanessa Bonnin

We had been invited to taste a range of artisanal produce at Domaine de la Pommeraie, a 12.5 hectare farm in the Middle Atlas, which produces cheese made from goat's and sheep's milk, as well as honey, apples, plums, peaches, apricots and cherries. The cheese is produced using an ancient Amazigh (Berber) method of fermentation.

We had rather foolishly arrived on time for the event, somehow forgetting we were in Morocco where nothing ever starts on time. Our second elementary error was not eating lunch beforehand, optimistically believing that bread and the much anticipated cheese tasting would suffice.

So you can imagine that after two hours on a very empty stomach, gazing at a buffet of cheeses arranged enticingly that we were not allowed to touch, we were feeling rather, well, cheesed off.

The only explanation we could get was that we couldn't start until everyone had arrived so in desperation we sat at a table and started eating some dried fruit and olives that was obviously meant to go with the cheese but by this stage - 4pm - we were so ravenous we didn't care.

Finally, at 4.30pm, the big cheese arrived - the Wali of Fez himself - and we suddenly understood why we had been made to wait so long. We felt rather 'sheepish', but delighted as platters of cheese held by white-coated waiters began to make their way towards our table.

Accompanied by thyme honey and olive oil from the farm, plus an array of breads and fruit, the first few cheeses came and went in a flash as we began to quell the tummy rumbles.

The Jben du Douar was slightly acidic, so went particularly well with the honey. This was followed by Le Berbére, a very fresh and buttery tasting cheese that would have benefited from a little more aging. The creamy Tomme Mimoun was very popular with the table, bringing comparisons with Camembert.

The Kandri had a more distinct goat flavour and was sticky on the palate. Our youngest taster, Francesca, described it as "a bit fizzy"! We then went off the menu (which had listed a ten-course tasting extravaganza) and tried a sheep's cheese. This new product had a great nutty flavour and a long finish and quickly made the top of the list so far.

The herd of 180 goats at the farm feast on lush foliage and herbs

The emergence of a dish of hand-churned butter also went down well, particularly after being described by a waiter as 'Beurre Berbere' (try saying it quickly) which for some reason caused us to dissolve into fits of giggles. I think we were all a bit giddy after finally getting food in our bellies, but our raucous table undoubtedly caused some to think that we'd spiked our home-made ginger juice with vodka. Tsk, tsk, all those foreigners are alcoholics...

La Buchette de Cedre was up next and despite being rolled in cedar this smooth, soft cheese didn't have a strong flavour. The final installment was La Mousse au Chevre, a lovely mousse served in a glass with strawberries - light and fluffy with a touch of sweetness, this was pronounced "a splendid dessert".

In the end we tried six of the ten cheeses on the menu, plus one surprise sheep's cheese, and all were noteworthy. What really got our goat however, was the star cheese - a special goat's cheese with a mould added that makes it green rather than blue - was nowhere to be seen! This had been anticipated as a highlight but we didn't get to try it. Fortunately my husband had purchased one earlier on (as he had to leave before the event got underway due to work commitments) and I got to try it later at home. I can confirm that this cheese has the most depth of flavour of all and a wonderful smoothness. It's a shame not everyone got to try it as this is definitely their best product.

Domaine de la Pommeraie
Ain Chiffa, Imouzer Kandar
Tel: 21265385248
www.domainedelapommeraie.com

Domaine de la Pommeraie owner, Tariq Lechkar

Words: Vanessa Bonnin
Photos: Suzanna Clarke

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Snow Fun in Morocco's "Little Switzerland"

The View from Fez is in debt to Al Arabiya News for a timely reminder that Morocco is not all sun and dessert. The Atlas and High Atlas mountains have a great reputation for trekking and climbing, but also, for skiing. Now, Ifrane,‘Little Switzerland', is holding its first ever snow festival.

Built by the French in a European style, Ifrane was once a summer resort for colonial families and has long been a popular winter destination for ski-lovers. But this year, the local authorities decided to hold the town’s first ever snow festival in a bid to widen the resort’s appeal and attract larger numbers of tourists.

“This festival has many objectives for the local population in the fields of tourism, culture and development. This is the first year we have done this initiative and we will see what further steps we may take for next year,” said chairman of the provincial council, Abdallah Ouhadda.

Visiting Ifrane in winter? Rug up, it gets very cold! 

The event, which took place on Saturday (February 2), attracted thousands of visitors, both from Morocco and abroad. Alongside a colourful parade, one of the main highlights of the day was the ‘snow princess’ contest, which saw ten girls aged between 8 and 13 compete for the coveted title.

Local girl Zineb Azira, who won the prize, received her crown from Ifrane’s provincial governor.

“I am very happy because by winning this title, I brought pride to Ifrane. I am very happy to win the title of snow princess,” she said.

The idea of organizing a snow festival in Ifrane was first mooted two years ago, to boost tourism and promote the region’s rich Amazigh culture. One of the organizations behind the competition said the aim was educational. The chairman of the Toutrit - or ‘garden’ in Amazigh - Association, said organizers wanted the younger generation to be proud of their local heritage and more aware of environmental issues.

“Why a snow princess and not a snow queen? Because we wanted to play an educational role in this province for young girls and boys. The other objective of this event is to help local development in the region and also the marketing of local products,” said Abdelkader al-Achni.

Michlifen

Twenty kilometers away from Ifrane, the Michlifen ski resort is popular with urban dwellers who want to escape the cities and enjoy some outdoor exercise.

But as well as winter sports, Ifrane’s cool summer climate means the region continues to attract tourists all year round, as residents from cities such as Fes and Meknes seek to escape the scorching heat of the summer months.

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Cheese in Fez

While the cuisine of Morocco is justifiably world-renowned, it has to be said that Morocco is not a cheese-producing nation. Yes, there is the soft cottage cheese known as jebli, and rather poor copies of French cheeses are produced in Casablanca, but generally, if you want good cheese, you have to buy imported products. Now, however, superb cheeses are being produced in Immouzer in the Middle Atlas, not far from Fez.

Jean-Yves and Driss

Jean-Yves Moine and his friend Driss Aoudi discovered the perfect underground cellar for maturing cheese that lay beneath the house of Driss' father in Immouzer. Now that Jean-Yves has retired from teaching in Fez, he has the time to devote to perfecting the cheeses.

Driss and Jean-Yves are using cheese-making recipes from the French Alps. Starting with raw cows milk, they mould, press, turn and salt their cheese wheels with great care. After three weeks of maturing, the cheese they have produced is a reblochon, a semi-soft, flavourful Savoy-style cheese.

the maturation cellar

If left for five or six weeks, the cheese becomes a tomme with a gentler flavour. They're also producing a soft ricotta-style cheese from an ancient Italian recipe that's perfect on pasta, salads, and for cooking both sweet and savoury.

Driss perfects the cheeses

Jean-Yves can be contacted at fromagerieimmouzer@laposte.net or by phone at 06 74 79 79 83. You can visit him at home in the Ville Nouvelle, or he'll deliver.