The Fantastic Street Food of Fez

Serhua Toh writes and takes photographs for a wonderful blog called

While it is unusual to find more than a cursory description of the fine street food of the Fez Medina, Serhua has done such a wonderful job - you can almost taste the food! What is amazing about Serhua's blog is that as a 23 year old student she has managed to trave the world doing what she likes most... as she says "It just dawned on me one day that this is what I would love to do. Writing, and documenting my thoughts regarding all the great (mostly food) places I've been to. All over the world. I'm not quite all over the world yet, but since I was living in Hong Kong over the summer, I thought it was a good time to start. Since then, I've returned to Singapore, and embarked on countless other adventures: Thailand, Vietnam, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Croatia, UK, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Austria, Greece, Eastern Europe, and more. Hopefully it never ends."

The View from Fez  has culinary pleasure in presenting Serhua's guest contribution; a photo essay on the fantastic street food of Fez.

Moroccan mint tea

Street food in Morocco is a dizzy affair. At once familiar and exotic, the subtle twists that made certain dishes completely different really blew me away. We spent three days in Fez, (and two in Marrakech), but I suspect we have barely scratched the surface of Moroccan street fare. Each morning, we would begin our day at a completely local joint for mint tea and coffee. 

Tasting coffee all over the world is one of my favourite travel to-do, even if I can't put a finger on the differences sometimes. The moroccan mint tea, a local favourite, was both soothing and refreshing. It may look a tad intimidating and unpolished, but it really wasn't as overpowering as it looked - Mint tea in Morocco is made using brewed green tea as the base, so mint leaves are only thrown in at the last moment. Note of caution: Steeping the mint leaves for more than two minutes may cause acid reflux!

The hole-in-the-wall bakery

The Secret Bakery

This unassuming hole in the wall bakery was one of our greatest discoveries in Fez. They seemed to be always churning out freshly baked pastries throughout the day, and we couldn't resist buying a few to try each time. We went back so often, the owners began recognising us! Everything tasted wonderful (especially fresh from the oven), but we were particularly partial to the chewy dates pastry and heavenly cream puffs drenched in chocolate! I can't praise this gem enough.

Date pastry and cream puff 

Moroccan Pancakes and Breads

Instead of going for Beghrir, the classic Moroccan pancakes (second from the left in the photo above), we tried out something I still haven't been able to identify (help, anyone?) - what looks to me like a charred rice pancake which we had with Moroccan butter and honey.

I must say, even though the pancake itself was a little dry and tasteless, the combination of fillings was wicked! Msemen (bottom left in the first picture) is a cousin of the Indian prata and is definitely a must try as well. If the riad you're staying at serves that for breakfast, count your blessings and eat your fill. If they don't, try to get freshly pan-fried ones, not those pre-cooked and stacked up as pictured. They go best with Moroccan butter!

Moroccan Yoghurt and Exotic Juices

After passing by this stall that sold refrigerated white drinks a couple of times, our curiosity finally got the better of us and we approached the lovely stall owners to ask what those white drinks in glasses were. "Raib - home-made yoghurt", they said. We were sold. It had the familiar taste of sweetened yoghurt but the consistency was less that of commercial smoothness and closer to that of a milkshake (reminiscent of India's lassi). Totally delicious!


All sorts of juices were available along the streets too. We had raisin juice and pistachio juice, among others. Isn't it interesting that they use raisins instead of fresh grapes? It looked so thick and the idea of raisins crushed into juice was so unnatural that I felt gutsy just for trying. The taste was certainly unique - much lighter than I'd imagined, surprisingly refreshing and intensely sweet. Pistachio juice was an equally surprising beverage - I never knew juices could be made from nuts and still taste this light and refreshing. Really interesting juices, though I'd have the yoghurt over these any day.

Homemade yogurt

The Unapologetically Addictive Sidekick - Spicy Vermicelli

Snack AMINE sold a mean fried chicken. I was walking by the stall when the aroma of fried chicken and grilled meat stopped me in my tracks. A closer glance at what the locals were eating had me point at the fried chicken, and my friends and I have been fans ever since. It wasn't so much the chicken (though it was undeniably tasty, for sure), nor the fries. Instead, it was the inconspicuous noodles tucked beneath the chicken (you can see a glimpse of it in the picture, just beside the chicken on the left) - an orange-tinged seasoned rice vermicelli (bee hoon). Unassuming but so unapologetically addictive. The spicy, salty and sour flavour combination really kept us wanting more! I sincerely hope that one day, I'll find out exactly what they call this noodle and get a copy of its recipe.

Khobz (Flat Bread) with Fried Liver, anyone?

Khobz (flat bread) laced with all sorts of fillings (beef, chicken, etc) can be found almost everywhere in Morocco. We had a few of the beef ones when we were hungry - they were tasty, but hardly a revelation. Then one day we saw this stall completely enveloped by locals. When we closed in to "investigate", I was immediately intrigued. The three stall owners were operating like a single machine - two of them deep frying slices of livers, sunshine eggs, green chilli and potato cakes, while the other assembles the sandwich, slitting the middle of the Khobz to form a pocket, then stuffing it with freshly fried liver and additional fillings. I think I might have drooled a little. Alas, by the time the queue reached me, the fried livers were sold out and I had Ma'Quoda (potato puffs) in my Khobz instead. Tasty, yes, but not what I really needed to try. So I came back the next day and finally laid my hands on the fried liver sandwich! Had some fried green chilli to go with it too. The strong, distinct liver flavour punctuated with sharp, bright notes from the green chilli and a slight, sour tang from the red chilli sauce - just brilliant.

The View from Fez would like to thank Cravings and Wanderlust for sharing!  
Visit Cravings and Wanderlust for a giddy food safari around the world. 

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Fes Sacred Music Festival - English Programme

The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music 2012 programme is now on the festival site in English If you would like more detail, plus information on the Nights in the medina, please visit : FEZ FESTIVAL DETAILS

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Has Skype Been Blocked in Morocco?

There is something odd happening with Skype in Morocco. According to several blogs and the MoroccoBoard site in the USA, Skype and several other VoIP services have been blocked by Maroc Telecom. However, when The View from Fez tried making several short Skype calls today, we encountered no problem. However, other VoIP providers such as Viper and Tango did experience connection problems, particularly from smart phone. So has Skype really been blocked?

Among the blogs reporting a blocking of VoIP services are popular Moroccan blog, Moroccan Geeks [French], who say that Skype and all other VoIP services have been blocked in the country. The blog points to an article from Moroccan newspaper Al Sabaheya confirming the news [Arabic].


The MoroccoBoard News site says:

...telephone operator, Maroc Telecom, has blocked access to several sites that provide free VoIP telephone service to its users. The ban has affected the Skype service that is used by most Moroccans to call their friends, relatives and customers overseas. The ban has also affected access to TeamSpeak and many other services that provide the VoIP functionality.

This decision has been taken by Maroc Telecom, which is know for its predatory commercial practices, for the purpose of shielding itself against competition and pushing its users to pay for its services and stop using free online services, like Skype, TeamSpeak, Viber and others.

The Maroc telecom is the former state telecom monopoly that has been sold to the French Company Vivendi. It has been a cash cow for Vivendi for many years. it has been producing unusually high profits for the company. Maroc Telecom is the default internet providers for Most users in Morocco.

Users on a number of sites have reported that:

Teamspeak.com is censored, Ventrilo and Mumble cannot connect to the servers. Viber cannot connect anymore from smartphones. Skype bandwitch has been limited in June 2011 and now reduced again in November 2011 which causes disconnections every 10 minutes and poor call quality, it's a progressive censorship to make it seem like it's just some technical problems, that's why some users say "oh well Skype is working fine for me" That's Maroc Telecom objective.

If Maroc Telecom is blocking VoIP calls, then this would be serious for hundreds of thousands of Moroccans who use the services to make calls as they are unable to afford the cost of mobile calls. The View from Fez would like to hear from VoIP users. Please leave a comment or email us.

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Spring Flowers in Fez

With the weather finally warming up and hours of glorious sunshine each day, spring has arrived and the flowers and blossom are a beautiful sight. Photographer Gérard Chemit has been up on Mount Zalagh capturing the first of the spring flowers.

The Medina of Fez seen from Jebel Zalagh

the colours of Spring are particularly vibrant at the moment 

All smiles - photographer Gérard Chemit with his wife Nezha  - photo Sandy McCutcheon

The View from Fez would like to thank Gérard for the photographs.
We are happy to feature photographs or story contributions. Please submit them to:  theviewfromfez@gmail.com 

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Fez to Celebrate Andalusian Music

Beginning on the 21st of February, the 17th edition of the Fez Festival of Andalusian Music will open in Fez and run until the 26th.

Andalusian music is extremely popular in Fez

This year's theme is -“30 years in the Service of Culture.” The festival will give the audience a chance not only to enjoy Andalusian music but to also learn about it, discuss it and meet professional and aspiring artists and researchers in the field.

The event is organised by the Urban Council of Fez, who promise a wide range of cultural, artistic and academic activities to celebrate Moroccan Andalusian music from different aspects.

Andalusian is a style of Moorish music found across North Africa in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. It originates out of the music of Al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia) between the 9th and 15th centuries.
In Morocco this music is now part of the tradition of the country, with styles called Al-Âla and Gharnati. It is considered very spiritual and soft and is usually played in ceremonies, particularly marriages, but also in popular places such as cafeterias, restaurants and houses. Moroccans celebrate with this music on Independence Days and Islamic Eid festivals.

The Programme

Tuesday, February 21: 
4 pm to 6 pm: Opening of the music program in Fez’ Riads. An evening at Riad Yaqout in the Fez Medina. The event features the choir of the Fez Music Conservatory conducted by Idriss Barada.

Wednesday, February 22: 
4 pm to 6 pm: An evening in l'Mnebhi Palace in the Talaa Sghira with the al-Baath Choir with conductor Abdul Fattah Benmoussa.

Thursday, February 23:
7 pm at the City Hall of Fez: - The opening of an exhibition of books and studies on Andalusian music and the opening of the exhibition of traditional musical instruments.
7.30 pm:  The Al-Brihi Choir from Fez conducted by al-Hajj Anas al-Attar. and the Musical Conservatory Choir from Tetouan conducted al-Mehdi Chaachoue.

Friday,February 24:
7.30 pm at the City Hall of Fez.  Mohamed Larbi Tamesmani Choir fom Tetouan conducted by Mr. Mohamed.   Fez al- Ala Tarab Youth Choir of Fez conducted by Mohammed al-Otmani.

 Saturday, February 25:
10 am at the Cultural Complex al-Hurriya, a seminar on the subject, “Composition and Copyright Movement in the Moroccan Musical Heritage; Reality and Issues: The Case of the Moroccan Andalusian Music” with the participation of professors and authors: Prof. Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Jalil, Prof. Youness Chami, Prof. al-Amine, al-Chaachoue, Prof. Abdul Fattah Benmousa. In addition, these authors will sign their latest books.

 4 pm to 6 pm: An evening in Riad Scheherazade in Bab Lehdid Street. Andalusia Youth Choir from Rabat, conducted by Mr. Mohamed al- Ouefer.

7.30 pm at the City Hall of Fez. The Abdul Karim Rais Choir conducted by Mr. Mohamed Berioul. Rawafed Association Choir of Tangier conducted by Mr. Omar Moutioui.

 Sunday, February 26:
4 pm to 6 pm at the the City Hall of Fez. The closing ceremony of the festival will include: A selection by the Grand Hijaz division performed by the Vocal Group of al-Ala House from Casablanca, under the supervision of Prof. Hamid Sibai and Mr. Ahmed Merbouh. They will be accompanied by al-Brihi choir from Fez, chaired by al-Hajj Anas al-Attar.

Thanks MAP and Morocco World News for information for this story.

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Small Earthquake Felt in Fez

Did the earth move for you? If you happened to feel a small tremor about half an hour after midnight, then you can blame seismic activity. According to seismologists the quake measured 4.1 on the Richter scale and was located about 70 kilometres North West of Fez. No damage has been reported.

Here are the details.

Earthquake Magnitude 4.1
Date-Time Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 00:28:25 UTC
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 12:28:25 AM at epicentre.
Location 34.479°N, 5.542°W
Depth 10.1 km (6.3 miles)
Region MOROCCO
Distances
70 km (43 miles) NW of Fes
129 km (80 miles) ENE of RABAT
146 km (90 miles) S of Tanger
215 km (133 miles) ENE of Casablanca


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Football Magic in Marrakech

The unusual skill of an artisan in Marrakesh recalls an earlier sporting era, writes our regular contributor Derek Workman. 

Anyone who plays football these days can think themselves lucky that when they head the lightweight plastic ball into the corner of the net they don’t have half a kilo of stiff leather pounding their skull. And imagine how heavy it would be when the game was played on a soaked pitch in the middle of winter; it was bad enough kicking it, and there must have been many a silent prayer offered up that the flat leather lace that held the ball closed over the inflated pigs bladder inside didn’t connect with the forehead, leaving a nice striped pattern on the skin for the next couple of hours, and a painful memory for even longer.

To buy a real handmade leather football is almost impossible, unless you go to a tiny workshop, barely bigger than a couple of kitchen cupboards, deep in the souks of Marrakech Medina, where Kamal Boukentar spends his days hand-sewing footballs and rugby balls made from original patterns dating as far back as 1900. He’s the only handmade leather football maker in Morocco, and one of only a handful left in Europe.

“Mohamed Boukentar, my father, started the shop in 1965, and was one of about twenty makers in the Medina at the time. During the seventies my mother, Lalla Aicha, worked with him, and is the only woman ever to have hand-sewn leather footballs in Morocco. I began in 1984, when I was twelve, and it took me a week to make my first ball.”

It may well be a coincidence, but that ball was bought by Michele Platini, who played for the French national team when they won the European Championship in the same year. When we meet, Kamal is working on a model from the 1930s with eighteen panels. Most people probably just assume that a football is made from a basic design, which is exactly what I thought – which goes to show how most people, including me, are completely wrong.

Most modern footballs are made up of thirty-two panels. (For the 2006 World Cup, FIFA introduced a 14-panel football, a style that will be used until at least 2014).  An original football can be made up of ten different numbers of pieces from four to thirty-four, and each of those will have three or four different designs, around thirty different patterns in all. On a shelf about his counter is the ultimate in the fine art of football making, a ball of seventy-two pieces, probably one of only two in the world, one made by Kamal, the other laboriously sewn by his father many years ago.

“I can make an eighteen-piece football in one day,” says Kamal, “but that one took me ten days of solid work. It’s purely for display, to show just how intricate a ball can be, and there is no price in the world that would get me to part with it.”

Kamal sits on a wood and rush chair outside his workshop, La Clinique du Ballon, where his father started sewing footballs almost half a century ago, (there’s barely enough room inside to turn around, never mind work), painstakingly sewing three panels together with an exactness of stitch that makes you think it has been sewn by machine. Occasionally he stops to spray the seam he is working on with water, to soften the leather and make it easier to sew.

“I buy my leather from a friend who works in the tannery in the Medina," says Kamal. "I need special skins, but when I buy them I have to line them with fabric or the needle would split the hide when it was sewn. I usually get about two-and-a-half footballs out of a skin, depending on the pattern, because even though the standard size of a football these days is sixty-nine centimetres in circumference, the older patterns we use are slightly larger, seventy-four centimetres.”

As the ball comes together like a complicated inside-out puzzle, it is finally drawn through the split which is later closed with a flat leather lace, after the rubber bladder that inflates the ball has been inserted. Fortunately, Kamal doesn’t go as far as using a pig’s bladder as they would in the early days of football.

In its natural state, the leather is pale beige, but after three carefully rubbed-on coats of olive oil, it attains the rich brown colour and muted sheen of memories of games played by men with short haircuts and knee-length baggy shorts, and who didn’t feel the need to kiss and cuddle each other whenever a goal was scored.

Despite being a sporting work of art, Kamal’s footballs are never likely to see a football pitch. “Most people buy them for decoration or as gifts. One of my best customers is a friend who owns the restaurant A Moda in Bergamo in Italy. He orders fifty at a time and sells them to his clients. But I like it when an older man buys one because it reminds him of when he played football as a boy. I’ve got an original pair of 1930s boots on display and sometimes people tell me what it was like playing in them. Heavy and uncomfortable, by the sound of it!”

La Clinique du Ballon, 14 Talâa souk Tihane Marrakech. Tel. (+212) 0666 01 56 88. 
Email: docballon@hotmail.fr

Photographs by our regular contributor, Derek Workman,  who is an English journalist living in Valencia City, Spain – although he admits to a love of Morocco and would love to up sticks and move here. To read more about life in Spain visit Spain Uncovered. Articles and books can also be found at Digital Paparazzi. 

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Morocco Asks Australia to Open Embassy in Rabat

Should Australia open an Embassy in Rabat? If you ask the opinion of Morocco's Canberra-based ambassador, His Excellency Mohammed Mael-Ainin, the answer is an unequivocal "yes".

Last Friday Ambassador Mael-Ainin had a chance to explain why an Australian Embassy in Rabat is considered important, when he appeared before a parliamentary committee inquiry in Canberra.

At the moment the nearest assistance for Australians is from the embassy in Paris. While the Paris embassy staff have a great track record in providing support to Australians, there is a growing need for a presence in Morocco. An Australian embassy could also be tasked with giving support to New Zealanders in the region. At the moment Australians in Morocco can seek assistance from the Canadian Embassy in Rabat (see information below) while New Zealanders need to contact Madrid.

As Ambassador Mael-Ainin (pictured left) pointed out, more Australians were visiting Morocco each year, with 33,000 Australian tourists in 2010. There has also been an increase in the number of Australian firms investing in Morocco. He said Morocco was a democratic nation which has a new constitution enshrining a commitment to human rights, trade unions, a political opposition and an independent judiciary. "Morocco is a very stable country. Politically it is very stable and that is very important for any country wanting to have an embassy," he said.

 The Australian parliamentary joint foreign affairs defence and trade committee is conducting an inquiry into Australia's diplomatic representation and looking at submissions from nations seeking an embassy. In a submission to the committee, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) secretary Denis Richardson said DFAT managed 95 overseas posts in 77 countries. "The number of posts managed by DFAT is lower than any other comparable country," he said, adding that consular and embassy staff numbers were five per cent lower than in 1996 while the range and intensity of activities have steadily increased.

LINKS
The Australian Embassy in Paris, France is available to assist any Australian citizen who might be in need of help or consular advice, and the first point of contact is their web site: http://www.france.embassy.gov.au

The Australian government also has a “consular sharing” agreement with Canadian Embassy counterparts and any Australian citizen seeking consular assistance may contact or present directly (during office hours) to the Canadian Embassy in Rabat.

Embassy of Canada in Morocco
13, bis rue Jaâfa-as-Sadik, Agdal
Rabat, Morocco

Postal Address
Embassy of Canada in Morocco
C.P. 709 Rabat-Agdal
Morocco
Telephone: ( 212) 537 68 74 00
Email: rabat@international.gc.ca

Please note that the Canadian Embassy cannot issue Australian passports but in certain cases they can provide emergency travel documentation to allow you to travel to the nearest Australian Embassy. They may also be able to provide assistance with certain notarial acts.

New Zealand Embassy, Madrid, Spain (also responsible for Morocco): +34 915 230 226.


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Controversial Fishing and Farming Pact Signed

Morocco has cause to celebrate the signing in Strasbourg on Thursday of the controversial fishing and farming accord with the European Union. The issue has been divisive, with strong opposition from European farmers as well as some environmental groups. Critics say it will hurt small family farms in France, Spain and Morocco and swing the economic advantages towards the large European food conglomerates

the European Parliament will revisit the vetoed fishing agreement

The European Parliament approved the new fishing and farming accord with Morocco by 369 to 225 votes. It is intended that the new agreement will reduce customs costs and boost trade across the Mediterranean.

Supporters of the accord maintain that it will allow European access to a key market and show European support for Morocco as it undertakes democratic reforms prompted by the Arab Spring uprisings.

The win for Morocco comes in the wake of their embarrassing defeat on the proposed extension of the European Union-Morocco “agreement on fishing”. The resolution to scrap the EU-Morocco fisheries deal was approved on the 14th December, 2011 with 326 votes for, 296 votes against and 58 abstentions.

The fishing fleet in Agadir

However, despite last year's setback, two days ago all the countries of the European Union formally approved to authorize the Commissioner for Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, to resume contacts with Morocco and to sign a new fishing agreement, to replace that vetoed by the European Parliament last year after sustained social media pressure from supporters of the Algerian backed Polisario rebels.

The decision of the 27 member states does not expressly mention the Sahara or Polisario, references to which the governments of Spain and France opposed. The parliament's approval is now needed for it to be valid.

 According to European sources consulted by Europa Press Agency, the measure provides a "geographical description" of the regions covered by the agreement.and that should benefit from the advantages it offers. Specifically, the text mentions 'south 27° 40'N' The Polisario have been attempting to claim that Morocco is exploiting its resources and claims to be excluded from any agreement with Morocco.

On this occasion, Sweden, Finland, United Kingdom and the Netherlands voted against the document because they argued that there is no express reference to the Sahara region. In light on the online activism by Polisario supporters, it is a timely reminder for Morocco that the inability of the Moroccan representatives to understand the importance and impacts of blogs, online activism, and “the internet diplomacy” can have very negative consequences.

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