Archive for the ‘Meknes’ Category

Moroccan Coffee and Café Ambiance, Your Moroccan Travel Guide

Friday, June 25th, 2010

A Café in Marrakesh, Morocco – Photo by Richard Mueller

Enjoying the ambiance in various Moroccan cities is partly what a trip to Morocco is all about. When traveling to Morocco, make sure to take time out to enjoy Moroccan coffee and the cafe ambiance that each city offers. MarrakechTangier, Essaouira and Agadir are known for having the most and the best cafe’s, the best variety of Moroccan Arabic coffee and are spacious, comfortable hotspots for people watching. Moroccan coffee is different from American coffee. The two most commonly-ordered types are black, served in a Moroccan teaglass, and coffee with milk, usually served in a cup, but sometimes in a tea glass.There are several types of coffee with milk.  The first is café cassé, which means black coffee broken with a little bit of milk.  The other common type is “café nss nss”  (no vowel in nss), which means half coffee (made with water) and half milk.

Café “nss nss”

The third type is café crème, which means a cup of hot milk to which instant Nescafé is added (but it is not made with cream, which was never available in Morocco until recently, but would never in any case be found in a café).

Enjoy Your Coffee on the Balcony at the Hotel Continental in Tangier, Morocco

Traditionally, mint tea has been the beverage of choice in Morocco. Some travel across the world just to sample authentic Moroccan tea in the land where its masterful preparation has become almost as much of an art-form as the Japanese tea ceremony. It is believed that tea was first introduced to Morocco in the 18th century, and began spreading through the country in the mid-1800s at the time the trade between the Maghreb and Europe started flourishing. It is reported that Sultan Moulay Ismail received many bags of tea and sugar as gifts and recompenses given by European envoys in order to release European prisoners. Moroccans quickly developed a fondness for the tea, but adapted it to their own ways by adding mint.

However, according to Euromonitor International, the amount of coffee consumption in Morocco has risen steadily among Moroccans, and has especially accelerated over the past few years.  An increasing number of cafés are opening all over Morocco.  Instant coffee, dominated by Nescafé is very popular in Moroccan homes.

A Café  in Agadir, Morocco

Moroccans make several variations of coffee in their own homes which you might like to try in your home.

Nescafé Classic

(Note:  Moroccans who use instant coffee mostly use Nescafé Classic –no substitute, or other type of Nescafé tastes the same.  If you prefer, use freshly brewed strong, black coffee in place of Nescafé crystals.)

Cafés in Essaouira, Morocco

Version 1:  Daily Morning Coffee, with Simple Continental Breakfast


Heat two cups of milk until boiling.  Let cool one minute; remove skin.  Stir in two rounded teaspoons of Nescafé crystals (or freshly brewed strong black coffee) and sugar to taste.  Moroccans often serve morning coffee in two thermos pitchers, one with black coffee, the other with milk, so that each person can mix their coffee exactly as they like it.

Version 2:  Coffee Spiced with Whole Cloves

Heat two cups of milk, together with three whole cloves, until boiling.  Let cool one minute; remove skin; disgard cloves.  Stir in two rounded teaspoons of Nescafé crystals (or freshly-brewed coffee) and sugar to taste.

Version 3:  Coffee with Black Pepper

Heat two cups of milk until boiling.  Let cool one minute; remove skin. Add 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper.  Stir in two rounded teaspoons of Nescafé crystals (or freshly-brewed coffee) and sugar to taste.

Version 4:  Coffee with Ras el Hanut

Ras el Hanut is a group of spices mixed together which translates as “top of the shop.”  It is used in a variety of Moroccan dishes.  Sometimes it can be purchased at Middle Eastern groceries, or better yet, on your own trip to Morocco!

If you do not have this spice mixture available, just  a pinch of a few spices can be substituted in your coffee.

Heat two cups of milk until boiling.  Let cool one minute; remove skin. Add 1/4 teaspoon of Ras El Hanout, OR a pinch of each of the followingground spices:  cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and black pepper.  Stir in two rounded teaspoons of Nescafé crystals (or freshly-brewed coffee) and sugar to taste.

Version 5:  Black Coffee with a Lemon Twist

Authentic version (probably imported to Morocco from France): To a cup of boiling water, add a rounded (or heaping, if stronger is preferred) teaspoon of Nescafé.  Or use freshly-brewed strong coffee.  Cut a 1/8-inch thick slice of lemon peel. Twist it for the oils to come out of the peel, and drop it into the coffee.  Add sugar if you like it.

Variation using Lemon Juice: Add a full tablespoon of lemon juice to strong black coffee. Add three+ tablespoons of sugar. Tastes a bit like strong, black coffee flavored with lemonade. (Note: Splenda might work, since it is made from real sugar– but aspartame products definitely taste really bad with lemon juice.) This variation is excellent, but I don’t make it often because of the amount of sugar required to balance the lemon juice. (Note that lemon juice doesn’t taste right in coffee unless real sugar is used.) An additional alternative is to use a bartender’s sweetened lemon-flavored syrup.

For more information about Morocco Travel and Morocco’s Cafe Scene

For more information about Travel and Tours to Morocco plus highlights on Moroccan culture visit Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara DesertBerber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or 1 (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

Cafe scene in Morocco, Cafe scene in Marrakech, Cafe scene in Tangier, Tangier, Agadir, Essaouira, Casablanca, Fes, Fez, Meknes, Marrakesh, Marrakech, Ouarzazate,  Moroccan coffee, authentic recipes for Moroccan coffee, Recipes for Arabic coffee, Recipes for Moroccan Coffee, Brochures Morocco, Holiday Travel in Morocco, Imperial Cities Tour Morocco,  Cafés in Morocco, Moroccan cafés, coffee in Morocco, Moroccan recipes with Nescafé, tea in Morocco, coffee culture in Morocco, café culture in Morocco, café au Maroc, Maroc, Morocco private tours, Morocco Holidays, Morocco Travel, Travel Exploration, Travel to Morocco

Beat the Heat in Morocco, Top Ten Morocco Travel Tips For Summer, Your Morocco Travel Guide

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Men at Sunrise Wearing Djellabas

1. Adopt a Moroccan schedule To Beat the Heat in Morocco During Summer & Other Seasons. Take advantage of the cool early morning hours in Morocco in Summer by taking a mid-moring snack and a late lunch about 1:00 PM. Take a nap in your air-conditioned hotel room or traditional Moroccan Riad, or a dip in the pool. Around 4 PM, have a snack, and head out again around 4:30-5:00 PM. You won’t miss much, because Moroccans tend to lie low during this same time. Enjoy yourself until dark, then head off for dinner around 8-9:00 PM. Take advantage of the Moroccan night life during the cool evening hours if you’re staying in Imperial cities such as Marrakech, Essaouira or Casablanca, all which boast varied restaurants with Moroccan and International cuisine along with entertainment.

2. When going out in the morning during your Morocco Travel experience, make sure to apply sunscreen and consider wearing a hat (or hat alternative) and sunglasses (protects your eyes against cataracts).

3. If you find yourself out and about, getting overheated and exhausted, use your water bottle to wet down your face, neck, hairline, and even the top of your t-shirt or dress in the upper back, shoulder, and neck areas. You can even splash some water on your arms if necessary.

Don’t worry about looking silly–it’s far better to take care of your health when traveling in Summer in Morocco. Even though you might not see them, plenty of Moroccans (especially men, or women when in their own homes) wet down their entire head and neck under a faucet if they feel severely overheated.

Under these circumstances, try also to get to a shaded area and sit down for a little while, even if you have to ask someone in a shop or elsewhere if you may use their stool to sit on. Most are more than happy to oblige if they see you need help.

4. Drink PLENTY of water. Doctors on the Moroccan radio have advised that this is the best way to avoid serious problems. (The objective is to keep your blood thin through drinking, because dehydration is what actually leads to strokes or heart attacks in the heat.)

5. If you are not on a salt-restricted diet, enjoy the Moroccan olives! Ask your guide to take you on a visit to the olive souk, where you can purchase several varieties of olives (which don’t need to be refrigerated in your hotel room). Enjoy these at your leisure. While a bit of salt is quite helpful in preventing heat stroke in extremely hot weather, salt tablets are quite unnecesary if you like olives!

Olive souk in Morocco

6. If possible, doctors suggest spending at least a couple of hours per day in an air-conditioned location. Even short periods will give your body a break. If you are unable to do so, don’t feel shy about wetting yourself down. Your clothes will easily dry in 20-30 minutes.

In addition to your Riad or hotel in Morocco, air-conditioning is becoming more available now in some larger stores (supermarkets and malls). These make a cooler place you can go for a break.

Fresh produce displayed inside an air-conditioned Acima Supermarket in Marrakesh

7. When stopping at small shops or cafés, they often DO have cold drinks. But sometimes you have to especially ASK for them. If they hand you an unopened bottle or can which is not cold, it never hurts to aks for one that is cold. Sometimes they only give them to the people who ASK. Moroccans nearly ALWAYS ask!

8. If you should ever find yourself in an out-of-the-way place that is just unbearable at night, one trick to help with this situation is to travel with a cheap (thin) bath towel. (Even a large hand towel will do.) These can be easily purchased at any local souk. Wet it down, wring it out, and lay it on top of your body in the bed. If you have a fan to lie in front of, it will offer instant relief. If you don’t have a fan, wave it back and forth in the air a few times; when you lay it on your body, it will feel cold. This can give you some much-needed relief.

9. Remember the locals are better acclimated to the heat of summer and cold of winter, because their bodies have a chance to adjust gradually throughout the year. If you spend a long time in Morocco, especially without air conditioning (or heat in winter), your body will adjust, too. But most tourists are not here long enough for that to happen. Most fly right in to the summer heat, are only here a short time, and need to be careful by following the above suggestions.

If you should ever need a doctor, generally your hotel desk or tour guide can help find you one quickly, who even speaks some English.

10. Low-lying and coastal regions (northern and western coasts) of Morocco, such as Agadir, Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangier often have moderate temperatures with humidity, but less of both than is found in the American South, or American East Coast. Marrakesh, Fes, Ouarzazate, and other inland cities or southern areas tend to have dry, to very dry, heat, which is far easier to tolerate than humid heat.

So, to sum up, in very hot weather, avoid going out between 1 PM and 4 PM. Rest in air-conditioning, if possible. Drink plenty of water, and don’t hesitate to ask someone for a stool or chair to rest on if you become exhausted. If you become overheated together with exhaustion, soak your head and shoulders in water —put your health before appearances.

For more information about a Morocco Travel Tips

For more information about Travel and Tours to Morocco plus highlights on Moroccan culture visit Morocco’s Imperial Cities, Seaside Resorts,Sahara Desert, Berber villages, A Taste of Morocco, Magical Kasbahs, Ruins & Waterfalls, Absolute Morocco, The Best of Marrakech, Fes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or 1 (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

4 x4 Tours Morocco, 4 x 4 Sahara Tours, adventure travel in Morocco, Agadir, Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakesh, Marrakech, Fez, Fes, Ouarzazate, Sahara Desert Tours in Morocco, Berber Villages, Camel Trek in the Sahara, Dades Valley Tour, dealing with the summer heat in Morocco, Laayoune, Marrakesh Souks, Marrakech Tour, Meknes, salt tablets in Morocco, Moroccan olives, Morocco, Travel in Morocco, Morocco Tours, Morocco Tours & Excursions, Morocco Travel, Morocco Vacations, Zagora, Erfoud, Todra Gorge, Morocco Holidays, Morocco Vacations, finding a doctor in Morocco, keeping cool in Morocco, traveling in summer to Morocco, finding cold drinks in Morocco, avoiding heat stroke in Morocco, hat in Morocco, sunglasses in Morocco, bottled water in Morocco, Morocco private tours, Morocco Holidays, Morocco Travel, Travel Exploration, Travel to Morocco

Moroccan Wine Guide, Choosing The Best Moroccan Wine, Your Morocco Travel Guide

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

Moroccan Grape Preparation For Wine Making Process

Restaurant menus and wine shops in Morocco present travelers with an astounding array of choice in excellent Moroccan wines.  But where should the person unfamiliar with Moroccan wines begin?  This article will provide a starting point and serve as a Moroccan Wine Guide by recommending some inexpensive good-value Moroccan wines.

Morocco has been a leading wine producer and its bold red and white grapes have become popular among the French, Americans and within Modern Moroccan households. When the French colonized Morocco, like the Romans centuries before them, they realized Morocco’s possibility of being a wine country. The French developed Meknès, a Moroccan Imperial City, into a wine region. Today 30,000 acres of land in Morocco contribute to wine production and Morocco sells over 40 million bottles within Morocco and abroad. Moroccan wine is in a state of revival and wine producers are taking advantage of the country’s sunny, mild temperate climate, and high altitudes.

Although most Moroccans do not drink alcohol due to religious prohibitions, Moroccoprovides a home to groups of ex-patriots and foreigners from France, England, America, Spain, Germany and Italy who enjoy healthy alcohol consumption. Wine production has greatly assisted in Morocco’s tourism sector and created much needed jobs. Close to 10,000 Moroccans are employed through the wine-making industry within the fourteen regions of Morocco. The fourteen wine making regions of Morocco  are Agadir, Boulaouane, Casablanca, Fes, Kenitra, Marrakech, Melilla, Meknes, Ouarzazate, Rabat, Safi, Sidi Ifni, Tangier, and Tetouan.

Map of the Fourteen Wine-Growing Regions of Morocco

Even though Morocco has fourteen wine-growing districts, wines from some of these regions are not widely available. Some common, easily-found appellations includeGerrouaneBeni MTtirBenslimane, and Zenatta. (Gerrouane and Beni M’Tir alone account for over sixty percent of Moroccan wine production.)

The Beni M’Tir Wine-Growing Region of Morocco

Moroccan Guide To Inexpensive Red Wines:

For anyone wanting to sample a good standard Moroccan red; or when ordering for a group of red wine drinkers of varying tastes, it’s hard to go wrong with Cuvée du Cabernet President Rouge:

This garnet-colored red wine (left) hints of orange, lemon, and bramble fruits.  A medium-bodied wine,it has good complexity, without being too heavy or too light.  It is rich and robust, with a lingering finish.

For those who prefer a heavy-bodied (14%), plum-tasting wine, Bonassia Cabernet Sauvingon (right) is a better choice. Bonassia is a rich and smooth opaque deep ruby-violet, tasting of black currants with hints of vanilla and nutmeg with a floral finish.  It is an exceptionally good value, and one of my personal favorites.  Matured in stainless steel for three months, and subsequently aged in oak.

For wine drinkers who enjoy Merlots and Syrahs, excellent inexpensive choices exist in Moroccco:

The Halana Merlot is a deep garnet-colored wine, tasting of raspberry, floral (jasmine and violet), and a hint of spice.  The Halana Syrah tastes of plum and raspberry, licorice, and cinnamon.  It also tends to be heavy with tannins.

Vineyards in Meknes

Moroccan Guide To Inexpensive Rosé Wines:

The Thalvin Boulaouane Vin Gris (left) is an especially good value and a personal favorite of mine.  It is a light wine, tasting of floral and honeysuckle, raspberry and citrus, with a pleasingly long floral length.

The Halana Syrah Rosé is medium-bodied, and stands up well to meat courses.  It tastes of rose petals, strawberry, melon and peach, and of robust minerals.

The “S” de Siroua Cabernet Sauvingnon Rosé (moderately priced in stores at about 120 Dirhams, or 12 Euros, and the most expensive wine listed in this article) is reminiscent of strawberry jam, and also a personal favorite of mine.

Grapes Being Harvested “by Hand” in Meknes

On most bottles of Moroccan wine, you will find the French words “vendage à la main,” which means “harvested by hand.”  According to the growers, this not only provides jobs for many Moroccans, but gives a superior quality to the wine when compared with mechanical harvesting methods.

Moroccan Guide To Inexpensive White Wines:

If you enjoy white wine, a light and refreshing Moroccan white you can try, which seems to please most palates,  is Thalvin Cuvée du President Sémaillon (no photo available).  It is reminiscent of green apples, light minerals, and grapefruit.

Another fresh and clean-tasting Moroccan white is Special Coquillages, found on many hotel and restaurant menus.  It tastes of green apple  citrus, and minerals, with a hint of grapefruit, and having very long length.

Cap Blanc (no photo available) is another similar white also found on many hotel and restaurant menus.  It is a pleasing and inexpensive wine tasting of grapefruit, honeysuckle, and minerals.

If you are interested in visiting the wine-growing regions of Morocco, why not book your next private tour with Travel Exploration?

For more information about Moroccan Wine, visiting the region of Meknes or a Morocco Wine Tour

For more information about Travel and Tours to Morocco plus highlights on Moroccan culture visit Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara DesertBerber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806  or 1 (917)703-2078  and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

Les terroirs de Beni M’Tir Gerrouane Benslimane Zenatta, appellations de Beni M’Tir Gerrouane Benslimane Zenatta, Moroccan wines, Cap Blanc, Special Coquillages, Thalvin Cuvée du President Sémaillon, “S” de Siroua Cabernet Sauvingnon Rosé, Halana Syrah Rose, Halana Merlot, Thalvin Boulaouane Vin Gris, Cuvée du Cabernet President Rouge, meaning of “vendage à la main”, Moroccan white wines, Moroccan red wines, Moroccan rosé wines, Moroccan gris wines, wine production in Morocco, recommended Moroccan wines, inexpensive Moroccan wines, which Moroccan wines to choose, vineyards in Morocco, vineyards in Meknes, the wine-growing regions of Morocco, Meknes, Fez, Fes, Rabat, Casablanca, Moroccan wine tours, Morocco travel, Meknes tours, Morocco tours, Moroccan Wine Guide, Morocco Wine Tours, Morocco private tours, Morocco Holidays, Morocco Travel, Travel Exploration, Travel to Morocco