ONE DAY WITH SAMIRA AT RIAD LAAROUSSA

We had a wonderful stay at Riad Laaroussa in Fes, Morocco. The main building dates back to the 18th century and has been fully and beautifully restored. Our room, the green suite, was enormous with 25ft. ceilings and was tastefully decorated in traditional Moroccan style. The highlight of our stay was spending a day with Samira, one of the riad’s chefs, to learn about the regional cuisine. We spent the morning with her as she made her daily visit to the market in the Fes medina to purchase the local produce and meat for the evening meal. Watching her pick the fruits, vegetables, and meats from the many different vendors depending on what was fresh definitely helped us appreciate what goes into the daily preparation of food at the riad. In the afternoon, we helped prepare the feast which included harira (Moroccan soup) and chicken tagine. We were interested in those specific dishes as they are typical in Morocco and Samira was happy to oblige. We were able to learn by participating in the food preparation and asking questions. For those who need recipes, her blog provides more details. Individuals who speak French will have no problem communicating with the staff at the riad or in Morocco. We speak only English and had no trouble communicating - Samira’s English was certainly adequate. In fact, we appreciated that she was taking English classes at a local institute and was eager to practice with us. At the end of the day, the food came out wonderfully well and we felt fortunate to participate in this unique experience. We have no hesitation highly recommending the Riad Laaroussa. The unique and authentic cooking experience we had during the day we spent with Samira was excellent!

Cathy and Andrew Grace
Bozeman, MT, USA
November, 2009