Savoring Moroccan Tea and Bread in Tangier
Day 94, Grand World Voyage
Friday, April 7, 2023; Tangier, Morocco.
I was looking forward to returning to Tangier, Morocco. I wanted to go back and wander through the souq, or market. In 2011, we ended our overview tour there but were rushed through its winding walkways by our guides. I described it this way in my pre-blog travel log:
We traveled on to what most of us most anticipated – the medina (old town) and souq (market). Unfortunately, our guides took us too quickly through the twisting, downhill (thankfully) walkways. Mom held my hand the whole way, and it was hard for many in the group to keep up with the pace. I believe the fast pace was intended to keep anyone from stopping to shop along the way, but that didn’t keep street vendors from trying to sell us bracelets or other trinkets.
We quickly went through a museum, which after all the other Moorish touring wasn’t too impressive, and then finally to one “preferred” shop. I tried to slip back a turn or two to take some pictures, with one of the guides frantically trying to shoo me into their shop. The 20 minutes we were promised there was much more like 10 minutes, as some on the tour objected vocally to any shopping. Mom wanted to look, but there wasn’t any time for making decisions or bargaining, so we left disappointed.
My plan this year was to spend the morning sketching in the souq, which was within walking distance of the pier. And then go with my sisters on an afternoon excursion to experience Moroccan tea and bread making. But I knew trying to get anywhere in Tangier would be impossible with my injured knee, so I canceled the tour and spent the day on the ship.
My sisters enjoyed the tour, which at $180 was pricey for just half a day, but it promised a small-group intimate experience in a private home. I’ll let Elaine describe it for you:
“We had an excursion for Moroccan tea and breading making. There are about 13 ingredients that go into making the tea, including a lot of mint. Unlike me using one tea bag!
“We each formed a small round loaf of bread dough and pressed a design into it indicating whose it was. Then, our shore excursion leader Dali helped take it to a neighborhood oven. People work there day and night to bake the bread. When ours came back, we enjoyed the bread with almond butter, raw honey, goat cheese with herbs, olives, olive oil and Moroccan sweets. Yum!”
They also were fascinated by the alleyways, ornate ironwork and doors of Tangier.
And just like that, we are leaving our fourth continent – Africa. We could see the mountains of Spain across the strait, and after passing by the Rock of Gibraltar in the dark tonight, we will dock in Málaga, Spain, tomorrow morning.
