Your culinary adventure begins in Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city where international influences combine with traditional Moroccan values to create a uniquely modern metropolis. Overlooking the emerald waves of the Atlantic, enjoy a late morning breakfast along the Boulevard de la Corniche. From Casablanca’s seaside journey through the heart of the city to discover the whitewashed architecture of the Centerville, Explore the bustling Center Market with its fruits, flowers and patisseries before continuing to visit the Hassan II Mosque, the largest mosque found in Morocco. Departing Casablanca, you have a short one hour drive to Morocco’s modern capital city of Rabat. Here you visit the Royal Palace and gardens, the blue painted streets of the Kasbah of Ouadais and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V built next to the ancient Hassan Tower, intended once to be the sister mosque of the famous Koutoubia in Marrakech.

Following breakfast, you depart from Rabat and travel to the coastal village of Asilah. The small medina of Asilah allows an opportunity to explore the artistic traditions for which Asilah is renowned. Lunch features fresh caught seafood specialties. From Asilah is a brief journey to Tangiers, perhaps one of Morocco’s most famous cities. Known for having been an international port and home to political intrigues, spies and the haunt of ex-pats and writers such as Paul Bowles, Tangiers is also known for its varied small restaurants, cafés and nightclubs. Your exploration of the market and medina of Tangiers includes the sampling of a diverse selection of street foods and traditional snacks that many Moroccans enjoy while ‘on the go.’ Arriving in the late afternoon to Tetouan, your evening includes a visit to the city’s historic medina. You’ll have time to refresh before joining Yassine for dinner at his family home. The evening is sure to be memorable as the Harrak family invites you to enjoy the hospitality of their home while dining.

After enjoying a leisurely breakfast, Yassine escorts you to the morning markets of Tetouan. This is an opportunity to select the fresh ingredients and spices which will be used in your morning lesson. Yassine takes the lead in discussing different options for creating a typical lunch before guiding you through its preparation. Your lunch complete, the trip continues through the nearby hills leading to the Rif Mountain village of Chefchaouen. Your arrival in Chaouen provides an opportunity to explore its tranquil, blue washed medina and learn about the town’s special heritage with Spanish Andalusia. There is plenty of time to spend enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of Chefchaouen, its winding streets and friendly cafés before dinner. Evening dinner features a specialty of the region known as mrozia, a sweet and savory dish of lamb slow cooked overnight in specially made terracotta jars.

Following breakfast is the opportunity for independent exploration of Chefchaouen. You may choose to visit the shops and artisans of the medina, take a short hike to the ras el-ma, the source of Chaouen’s fresh spring water or to the old Spanish mosque overlooking the village. With numerous cafés and the wonderfully restored Kasbah to explore, the central plaza, Utta el-Hammam, is also a fine place to spend a leisurely morning. After lunch, join Yassine to learn about Jabali or Riffi cuisine and its cultural influences from Spain and Andalusia. You’ll discuss the history of northern Morocco and discover how the cooking styles differ from elsewhere in Morocco. The discussion continues into the marketplace as you collect the vegetables, meats and spices for preparing your evening meal with Yassine.

Today you begin to see examples of the ancient history of Morocco when departing from Chefchaouen. The journey takes you to the Roman ruins of Volubulis, nestled in a long valley below Mount Zerhoun and the nearby holy city of Moulay Idriss. After walking the ruins, you’ll travel to nearby Meknés. Along the way are opportunities to visit growers of olives, whose olive oil presses may remind you of those seen in Volubulis! Arriving in Meknés, once an imperial city of Morocco, you enjoy a rooftop lunch overlooking the ancient city’s famous ramparts. The exploration of Meknés includes a visit to its covered olives and vegetables souk, the ramparts and tomb of Moulay Ismael and the intimidating façade of the imperial gate called Bab Mansour. While not part of traditional Moroccan cuisine, wine has been a significant part of the historical culture of Morocco. The region near Meknés has long been known as one of three major wine growing regions of the country and from the city is a short drive to visit the Celliers du Meknés. Here is an opportunity to tour the winery and sample many of the vintages from their cellars. Your arrival in Fes is in the late afternoon as the setting sun bathes the former imperial city’s walls a brilliant reddish ochre. Following an opportunity to settle in and refresh at your accommodations, dinner is found in the French designed New Town of Fes.

Your exploration of Fes begins mid-morning at the Bab Boujeloud, the Blue Gate, one of the historic entrances of the medina. The old town of Fes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the world’s largest medieval cities. Your walking tour of the medina includes visits to artisans, shops and monuments scattered throughout its warren of narrow streets and alleyways. These include the Bou Inania Madrasa, or Qur’anic school, the tomb of Moulay Idris, founder of the city, the Kariouine Mosque and University, older even than Oxford College, the tanneries and artisan souks, as well as many other historical sites along the way. Continuing the tour after lunch, served in a medina restaurant, you travel out from the city to where the famous blue and white glazed pottery of Fes is produced. Your dinner this evening is held in a lavishly restored palace restaurant replete with several courses of Moroccan dishes prepared in the Fassi style and accompanied by traditional entertainment.

Fes is often considered the capital of Moroccan gastronomy, where Arabic, Berber and Jewish culinary traditions have been refined to present the connoisseur a bona fide feast as unique and as complex as the arabesque tile designs adorning many of the city’s historic buildings. Seasonal greens, fresh meats, aged and herbed butters, pickled lemons, comfits of peppers and spice, olives, paper thin leaves of pastry and more are artistically combined to the create the distinctive flavors of Fes. The Friday noon time meal in Morocco is traditionally cous-cous. Your final workshop with Yassine teaches you to prepare this dish accompanied by a variety of typical Fassi side dishes. The morning starts with a visit to the marketplace for ingredients before returning to the kitchen. You’ll discover that when prepared following the old ways, cous-cous is a delicious product of patience! Following your mid-day meal, the afternoon is free for you to relax on your own, explore the medina or arrange visits to the New Town independently. Your last night’s dinner is a banquet meal prepared by Yassine especially for you and served in the mosaic tiled courtyard of a private riad.

Early morning departure from Fes to Casablanca for onward journeys. Those participating on the three day extension to Marrakech depart from Fes in the morning to the villages of Ifrane and Azrou on the route to Marrakech.