Chapter 317: North African Customs

The first time I heard Nefil say that he was going to Morocco, he refused in his heart. Just came out of Europe, what are you going back to do?

It turned out that the French one is called Monaco, the North African one is Morocco, and there was a childhood movie called Casablanca. Last year, Lin Chaoqun filmed a Red Sea operation, and casually made an annual box office champion, which was filmed there.

In the evening, in the main square of Marrakech, Degema, you will find a variety of shows going on everywhere. The snake charmer has played his flute, but the real show won't start until sunset, when the restaurant is busy and musicians are on the scene.

At night, the square is full of charm, with Berber musicians playing musical instruments, a troupe of Gnawa singing, tattoo artists with painted dyes greeting passers-by, and water sellers in fringed hats clinking copper cups to attract customers.

All it takes is a round of applause and a few dirhams to get the busker to perform for you one more time.

In the old town of Marrakech, surrounded by pink rammed-earth rammed walls, the winding alleys of the souks, where the lamb dangled on hooks and the twinkling lights next to it, led to nowhere......

This is the labyrinthine Degema Square.

Walking through the crowded market, the rich aroma of scones and lamb fills the air. The market is inhabited by many indigenous Moroccans, Berbers. All wore traditional hats, red and white striped dresses, blankets and shawls, and the flavor of Chauen was all in it.

As far as the eye can see, it's all barbecue and tagine pots, and there are also specialty snail soups, lamb brains, and grilled lamb heart skewers. When you come to a famous local restaurant, you will find that Moroccan cuisine is actually rooted in Berber food, and has been influenced by the French, which has both the original roughness of Africa and a little European style.

The appetizer starts with a refreshing Moroccan salad mixed with diced tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, seasoned with spices, and the black pepper must be strong enough to hold the heavy flavor that follows.

If you talk about the national dish of Morocco, it has to be the tage. As early as the 9th century, Taji's approach is recorded in the story of "One Thousand and One Nights", but the interesting thing is that the content can be varied. It can be beef stew, lamb stew, anchovies, tomatoes, or even cheese eggs, you can imagine it.

The most classic is the combination of beef and plum and eggs, according to SC Johnson's standards, Moroccans are not good at cooking meat, not old and angry, fortunately the plum has a sweet and sour fruity aroma, to a certain extent, to resolve the disadvantage of meat, flatbread stained with Taji's soup, there is a sense of flying and domineering satisfaction.

More impressive than the taste, the odd-looking tagine pot is a round red clay pot with a lid resembling a small cone-shaped hat.

In the desert of North Africa, where water is scarce, the taji pot is extremely sealed to prevent water evaporation, and the ingredients are simply simmered with spices, olives and nuts, and the soup is immediately rich and ripe, perfect for fluffy arabesques.

Take a bite of couscous, a typical Magrian Berber food that, although it looks like millet, is actually a type of couscous, kneaded into millet-shaped granules that can be stored for days after drying.

As long as it is slightly steamed before eating, it immediately becomes fluffy and soft, and it tastes glutinous, and the toppings are basically light boiled vegetables, such as zucchini, carrots, potatoes, onions, etc., fennel, cumin, basil and other spices are naturally indispensable.

Like a giant salty steamed cake, the mutton is boiled soft, and the soup is soaked in the light yellow couscous, which is quite luxurious and thoughtful.

After eating a cup of mint tea, first boil a pot of water, add green tea and sugar to boil after boiling, and finally add a little mint leaves to roll and pour into a cup with fresh mint leaves, sweet and fresh.

The waiter lifted the sparkling silver kettle very high, but the tea poured into the gold-encrusted glass without leaking. Arabs love sweetness, and they can't wait to put in half a cup of sugar cubes, which is sweet to death.

When you're wandering around Morocco, the most unlikely thing to miss is this overwhelming Arabian café. As long as it is an open-air seat facing the road, it is bound to be filled with Arab men with big bellies, and there are almost no women, as if it is a special place for men to socialize.

Everyone has a cup of mint tea in their hands, and when they talk about it, even big things can come to naught.

After eating and drinking, walking on the street, there were only sparse juice stalls during the day, and everything seemed dejected, but when the sun went down and cooled, the hawkers who had been recuperating all day began to come out from all corners with vigor.

Hanging out the cow's brain and sheep's face, putting fried fish and shrimp, the little brother who solicited customers all had a stubborn attitude to block his life, and greeted him in various ways: Hello, there is everything here, and you can have what you want. ”

"I'm sorry, I've already eaten and I'm full. "Even if you meet such an indifferent response, you will still be bombarded indiscriminately by the little brother: wait, you need more food, feed ......"

After all kinds of strange food stalls, Johnson still couldn't hold back, especially the snail stall, which was surrounded by people, and the small wooden planks on the edge of the cart were used as pocket bars, and everyone wanted a bowl of boiled snails.

If you want to taste a bowl, the shell is a black and white thread, like some kind of cute shell, but it is extremely heat-absorbing, and I am so hot that I keep shaking my hands and blowing air, and I can't eat one for half a day.

Looking at the neighbors, both adults and children, they all use a toothpick to pick the meat, and the movements are skillful, using snail meat to stuff the teeth and chatting, and the soup is drunk to be considered complete.

It's not fun, stretching out a finger, the boss immediately handed over a bowl full of snails, and a new round of meat removal competition began, which is quite interesting for us to drink under the screw. Eat to your heart's content, and ask for a serving of chickpeas to relieve greasy.

Next to it is a cart selling cactus fruits, drive one to eat the other, this magical desert fruit is eye-catching. The most sweet, juicy overflowing, no need to ask the price, count and eat a few, give the vendor the same amount of Moroccan dirhams, wipe your mouth with your hand and leave.

The best way to get back to the hotel after eating and eliminating the fatigue of the journey is to enjoy a massage and come to a healthy SPA.

Step into the 50°C bath and relax on the belly stone. A masseuse, known as Tanrak, wears gloves and rubs his body with traditional black soap made of olive resin to cleanse the body and remove dead skin.

Rinse with cold water and apply to body and hair with Moroccan grey-green mineral clay, which is said to have deep cleansing and detoxifying properties.

Stretch and massage for a few minutes to help you rejuvenate your muscles. After washing, apply the lightly fragrant orange blossom water, the whole body is full of fragrance, and the whole body feels refreshed and relaxed.