TANGIER RESTAURANTS

In Tangier you have 3 options:

Cheap places around the Petit Socco, more upmarket or fast food chains in the New Town, or tourist places at the Seafront.

The most popular dishes are the fish dishes, the Tajines and the CousCous.

The ritual of serving tea

THE MOST TYPICAL DISHES

1. HARIRA A soup of peas. A litle spicy and very strong.

2. TAJINES A lovely stew, that depending on the cook and the recipe, can be anything from fast food to Nouvelle Cuisine. It can be with chicken, lamb or other meats, that are steamed together with vegetables.

A tajine that many people like is a tajine with chicken, onion and raisin

3. COUSCOUS A really heavy meal that consists in boiled/ steamed vegetables and meat with semolina. If made with raisons or rabit in prunes, it is a meal you will not likely forget.

4. BROUCHETTES You'll see people eating Brouchettes on the streets all over Tangiers. They're basically kebabs with various kinds of steak or swordfish along with a wide array of other ingredients.

5. PASTILLA This dish is made of pigeon meat, rice and egg and covered in a sweet filo pastry. Strange as it may sound, it's tasty and very filling.

FROM TEAROOMS TO CANDY

If you listen to tourists sometimes you start to think that The Thing To Do in Tangier is: how to stuff yourself.

That might be related to the other worldly charm of the tea rooms, having walked out of the 1950's and always calm and pleasant. La Giralda (opposite Hotel El Minzah) is that one single café that every city in the world seems to have: the place to see and be seen.

But also the other tea rooms at the surrounding Le Boulevard are worth the while.

Left, right and centre you have small shops selling delicious typical Moroccan candy and pastry. You would not be the first never to go out for a real dinner simply because you are almost sick of all the sweetness you ate during the day.

THE TEA

For centuries Moroccans have welcomed their guests with green tea enlivened with natural mint leaves.

This all natural combination produces a very pleasing, aromatic, refreshing brew. The gentle green tea is lightly enhanced with the sweet, fragrant flavour of natural peppermint.

This tea is sometimes mockingly referred to as "Moroccan Whiskey".

ABOUT ALCOHOL

For a city in a Muslim country, Tangier is surprisingly liberal when it comes to liquor.. Being a Port town might have something to do with that.

All bars at the Seafront serve alcohol. In the rest of the city it is not a custom, but also there you will not have a problem when asking for a beer.

 

NICE PLACES

Saveurs de poisons

Or "the tasters of fish"...

THE place for fish dishes.

A restaurant you will pass by anyhow, as it is located right on that corner between the New Town and the Petit Socco.

Right at the top of the steps that divide the New Town and the Medina, near Hotel El Minzah.

The chef is a character. He will tell you what you will eat, and will show you herbs and oils good for everything.

Safari

Another and more budget place you will simply not miss.

It is just around the corner, when you want to start walking uphill from the Ferry Port to the Medina... at 1 minute from the Port.

For everyone's budget, and always safe and clean.

The restaurant right next door serves great couscous!

Hotel El Minzah

The hotel offers 2 restaurants, one with Moroccan and one with International cuisine.

Not great, and only if you really wish to do the tourist trail, complete with belly dancers or guitar music, but the worn off feel of the hotel is still a crowd pleaser.

HOW TO COOK MOROCCAN COUSCOUS

Couscous cooks quickly.

Start with a cup of couscous and add a teaspoon of olive oil as well as a good pinch of salt.

Then pour boiling water over the couscous (which is pasta) and cover it.

5 minutes later fluff with a fork and serve. Depending on whether it is whole wheat or not, you can use between 1.5 cups and 2 cups of water for each cup of couscous.

The key is to cover it. If you make it in a casserole dish with a glass cover, it prevents steam from escaping.

Start with 1.5 cups of water per cup of couscous. If it is too dry, add another quarter cup and stir. If still too dry add another quarter cup and stir. Do not add more water than a 2:1 ratio.