Our trip to Morocco was filled with novelty, excitement, pleasure and intrigue. However one particularly unique experience was our time spent in the market, Jamaâ El Fna ( also spelled Djemma El Fna).

The Morocco Market - Jamaa El Fna

We witnessed both the daytime and nighttime vibe, and although it’s safe to say both displayed a tremendous amount of energy, the latter especially so. Knowing this had the possibility of being an overwhelming experience, I had booked us a tour guide beforehand.
The taxi dropped us off at the main entrance of the market, where we did the usual Moroccan thing – crossed the street while dodging taxis, a few SUV’s and a whole lotta motorbikes…like hundreds of them, some carrying full grown men and women, others with entire family’s wrapped around each surface of the bike, and I’m not talking large Harley bikes, I’m talking what look like regular bicycles with small motors on them.

After sorting through the sea of people and cats, we find our tour guide wearing the traditional Muslim tunic and an Urban Adventures baseball cap.  We’re about ten minutes late and he explains that he was about to leave but the company told him to stick around for a couple more minutes. This is an important anecdote because a) I think it’s pretty telling of the locals here in Marrakech as they seem to be very punctual people and b) I am certain we would not have had the same rich experience in the market had we not been taken through the nooks and crannies of what is essentially a very large maze, by a local.
Our guide’s name was Mustapha  and explained to us that he’d be taking us on a 3 and a half hour tour, focused mainly on food. It turns out we learned a ton about the local cuisine but even more about Moroccan culture and the Muslim lifestyle which is why I love scoring a knowledgeable and candid tour guide. They really do make or break your experience and if they do it right, they ensure that you’ve come away with way more than you could ever learn from studying it on your own.
So with about a dozen questions on Moroccan life thoughtfully answered right off the bat, we embarked on a high speed walking tour in and around the the craziness that is Jamaâ El Fna.

Highlights from Inside the Market

• Spices & Witchcraft: among the hundreds of aromatic and colourful spices, we were shown the less obvious baskets of goodies which included dried up bats that the women purchase if they’re not happy with their marriage and are looking to administer a potion to their husbands to either improve the relationship, or in more dire circumstances, “end” the relationship. Trust in this society is clearly important!

• Pastries and Bread: in general, Moroccans subsist on carbohydrates, more specifically wheat products. So much so, that an average Moroccan eats the equivalent of three loaves of bread a day and only 750 grams of red meat a year!!! Let those stats sink in for a minute…and now you’ll understand why most of our eating this evening consisted of pastry after pastry, and various types of bread.
  My favourite was the Moroccan donut called Svenj which was perfectly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside with a savoury flavour. It was truly incredible to learn about the differences in our eating habits and to compare indulgences, us – meat and alcohol and them – sugar. The majority put THIS much sugar in their mint tea.

• Communal Oven: the community here seems to be pretty tight knit and that is especially apparent in the fact that there are hundreds of communal ovens where the women (it’s still often expected that the women do the majority of the cooking) show up in the morning with their dough, hand it to the resident baker who then makes their bread for them, then leaves the finished product unidentified on a shelf because he knows each family and which basket belongs to whom.

• Tangia: a dish specific to Marrakech, it consists of slow roasting lamb and whole lemons (for up to 12 hours). The lamb is flavourful and tender and the lemon is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It’s tart and savoury, and really complements the lamb.  Because we were filled up with our previous pastries and bread, we used cutlery, however the locals use bread instead of forks when eating this dish.

• Galangal: we were served this tea at the end of the night which was a perfect way to end off the tour because it has a lot of ginger which is great for digestion.  It had a few other spices like garlic and cinnamon so I would say it’s an overall healthy option, especially those with a cold.  Mom, dad and I sipped this last gem while taking in our last moments at the market.

As my dad kept repeating once we returned to our hotel, the market presented a sensory overload, and we loved it. If you approach the experience with an open, relaxed and flexible mentality you will truly appreciate the raw and diverse beauty of it all.

sensory overload, and we loved it

Four Tips for Travelling to Marrakech

1. Make sure your vaccinations are up to date as there is a lot sharing and very relaxed health codes when it comes to food in the market. With your vaccinations out of the way you can be adventurous and truly immerse yourself in the experience.

2. Hire a guide to get the most out of the market. It’s a maze like layout and there are really cool alleyways we would never have ventured to if we didn’t have a local with us. Mustapha with Urban Adventures was knowledgable, thoughtful and thorough

3. Be subtle with your picture taking or ask for permission first as many of the vendors aren’t into having their photograph taken.

4. If you come across a taxi driver that you like, don’t be afraid to ask for their number and use them for the remaining of your visit. They’re happy to accommodate you.