Maroque Newsletter

Welcome to the latest edition of the Maroque newsletter.

I hope you are well, I have to say I find this time of year the least enjoyable, it's still dark in the middle of the afternoon and spring seems far away.  An ideal time of year to bring a little Moroccan magic to banish the winter blues.

I have decided to look at different cities across Morocco in my next few newsletters, looking at them from an architectural, social, culinary and holiday point of view.  I hope you find them interesting.  If you have any hotel or restaurant recommendations, I should love to hear from you.

Also, as I briefly said in my last newsletter, we have been busy moving to new premises.

Fez

Fez is the cultural and spiritual centre of Morocco, oldest of the three imperial cities, founded in 790 BC by Moulay Idriss II. The capital of Morocco for more than 400 years, home of the oldest university of the country, and the leading cultural and religious centre.

Fez is also the home of the oldest and largest medieval city in the world, and a UNESCO world heritage site.  Its topography has remained virtually unchanged since the twelfth century: Koranic schools are telling evidence of the former intellectual and religious importance of Fez.  Fez's grand mosque was one of the finest intellectual centres in the Maghreb.  It also has one of the most famous libraries in the Arabic world.

The city provided refuge to the Muslims and Jews who had been expelled from Spain, and so became the caretaker of hispano-moorish traditions.

The main attraction in this ancient city is the medieval Medina, the old part of the city, which has been continuously inhabited since the 10th century.  It is a compact labyrinth of houses, souks, mosques and narrow streets.  The tanners' quarter will probably leave a lasting impression: created in the middle ages, the curing process has changed little since.

Fassis – the people of Fez – have a reputation throughout Morocco as successful and sophisticated.  Just as the city is situated at the centre of the country, so its inhabitants are placed at the heart of government, and most government ministries are headed by Fassis.  What is undeniable is that they have the most developed Moroccan city culture, with an intellectual tradition, their own cuisine, dress and way of life.

Fez cooking is said to be the most refined in Morocco, in Fez the cuisine shows influences of Andaluz.  The most famous recipe of Fez is Bastilla, an enormous, flaky pigeon pie at least 50cm wide.  Beneath a perfectly crisp pastry top, covered with cinnamon and sugar, are layers of shredded pigeon, eggs in a lemony, spiced onion sauce and sweetened with almonds.  The whole is encased in miraculous, tissue-thin pastry leaves called warka.  Most recipes to make this dish cover 4 or 5 pages (and in several books a whole chapter) and it takes days to make.  I’ll give this a miss, and just enjoy it while in Morocco!

Tagines from Fez differ in style from the rest of Morocco, as they don’t cook the meat or onions prior to adding the cooking liquid.  It is all placed in the tagine together at the beginning.

The most famous hotel in Fez is the Palais Jamai, located uphill from the ramparts, overlooking the medina. The Palais is a perfect illustration of the Arab-Moorish architectural style.

In the medina is La Maison Bleue, an authentic Moorish residence in the centre of the ancient city, mainly decorated in blue zellij (mosaic), with fine plaster walls, and featuring some wonderful original cedar doors and quintessentially Fez stained glass windows.

Recipe

Tagine of lamb with peas, preserved lemon and olives, Fez style.

This is a fresh spring dish full of Moroccan flavours.

Ingredients

1kg (2lb) lean lamb, cubed
2 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1 onion chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of chilli powder, optional
1/4 tsp of saffron, lightly crushed
1kg (2lb) fresh peas, shelled weight
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Peel of 1 preserved lemon, cut into pieces
12 green olives

Pre-heat oven to 180C (gas mark 4).

1. Put the meat in the pot with the oil, onion, salt and pepper, ginger, chilli and saffron.

2. Cover with water and cook covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat is very tender, adding water to keep it covered in the sauce.

3. Add the preserved lemon peel and olives and cook uncovered for 10 minutes or longer, until the sauce is reduced.

4. Add the peas and coriander, warm through and serve hot with bread or couscous.

Serves 6-8

Site Update

We have expanded our recipe selection, and our recipes can now be printed individually: I hope you will find it useful.  We have also increased our range of food and I expect to add more over the next few weeks.

Finally, we have just received some new funky henna lamps, that will make a striking addition to any room.

Visit Us

I'm so exited, we have moved!  My little baby business has gone all grown up and we are now in a small industrial unit around the corner.  We have gone from home to premises and I’m still in a state of shock with all the space (this also means a fab opportunity for some major redecoration at home, hubby is already groaning at the prospect).

This does mean that if you have your eye on a particular item and you would like to see it, why not come and visit us!  Please find directions and a few photos to lure you.

I'm hoping to stock some larger items that I can't send by mail order (large mirrors and large items of pottery) and some one-off pieces.  As you will only be able to buy these pieces at our premise, why not visit us?

Thank you for your continued support.  If you have any comments, ideas or suggestions I would love to hear from you.  Please email info@maroque.co.uk.

Kind regards

Julie Woodard
Maroque