Marrakech Cooking Class with Market Visit & Riad Lunch

Highlights

• Market shopping for spices and fresh produce with a chef
• Your own workstation in a traditional riad kitchen
• Cook a tagine, zaalouk and taktouka from scratch
• Knead khobz and visit a communal neighbourhood oven
• Learn the Moroccan mint tea ceremony
• Lunch of your own dishes, plus recipes to take home

Itinerary

1. 1

   09:30 · Meet near Jemaa el-Fnaa

   Your chef meets you at the entrance of the Café de France on Jemaa el-Fnaa square; detailed directions are sent as soon as you book. After quick introductions, it is a short stroll through the medina lanes towards the riad and the neighbourhood market where the morning's shopping takes place, with the chef sharing a little about the dishes you are about to cook.

2. 2

   09:45 · Market visit

   At the market you choose the vegetables, herbs and spices for your dishes. The chef points out what to look for in good produce and how to judge the quality of spices, and you can ask about anything unfamiliar on the stalls. It is a great chance to see how residents of the medina shop for their daily meals before carrying everything back to the kitchen.

3. 3

   10:30 · Cooking class

   At your own station in the riad kitchen, you prepare a tagine and two cooked salads, zaalouk and taktouka, following the chef step by step. You also knead the dough for khobz, Morocco's everyday round bread, and see how the spices you bought come together in each recipe. Questions are welcome throughout, and the chef adapts the dishes to any dietary needs you shared.

4. 4

   12:00 · Communal oven and mint tea

   Where opening hours allow, you take your bread to the neighbourhood communal oven to be baked, just as local families still do. Back at the riad, with the tagines gently simmering, the chef walks you through the ritual of Moroccan mint tea and you prepare a pot for the group, learning why serving tea is such an important sign of hospitality in Morocco.

5. 5

   12:45 · Lunch on the patio

   Lunch is served on the riad patio or terrace: the tagine, salads and bread you made, shared around the table with your group. It is the best part of the morning, and a relaxed moment to swap impressions with your fellow cooks. You receive the recipes, printed or digital, to take home, and the class comes to a close at around 13:30.

What’s included

Questions about this tour