Morocco’s traditional
haute cuisine dishes are excellent and good value for money. They are often exceedingly elaborate, based on a diet of meat and sweet pastries. Hotel restaurants usually serve French cuisine. Restaurants offer a good selection of food, including typical Moroccan dishes, French, Italian or Spanish meals. The three-course fixed menus are not expensive. Many of the
souks have stalls selling kebabs (
brochettes) often served with a spicy sauce. Most restaurants have waiter service. Bars can have either waiter or counter service. Laws on alcohol are fairly
liberal (for non-Muslim visitors) and bars in most tourist areas stay open late. Wines, beers and spirits are widely available. Locally produced wines, beers and mineral waters are excellent and good value, but imported drinks tend to be expensive.
National specialties:
•
Harira, a rich soup.
•
Pastilla, a pigeon-meat pastry made from dozens of different layers of thick flaky dough.
•
Couscous, a dish based on savoury semolina that can be combined with egg, chicken, lamb or vegetables.
•
Tajine is a stew, often rich and fragrant, using marinated lamb or chicken.
•
Hout is a fish version of the same stew.
•
Djaja mahamara is chicken stuffed with almonds, semolina and raisins.
• Also popular are
mchoui, pit-roasted mutton.
•
Kab-el-ghzal, almond pastries.
National drinks:• Mint tea made with green tea, fresh mint and sugar. It is very refreshing and its consumption is an integral part of Moroccan social courtesy.
• Coffee is made very strong, except at breakfast.
Tipping: Service charges are usually included in hotel bills; it is customary to tip hairdressers, cinema usherettes and waiters MAD1-2.
NightlifeMorocco offers a variety of entertainment from casinos, bars, discos, restaurants and nightclubs, often with belly dancing. There are modern nightclubs in all the cities and resorts around the country. There are casinos in Marrakech, Mohammedia, Tangier and Agadir. Traditional Moroccan entertainment, such as folk dancing, can be seen in every town.
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