In the hinterland of Essaouira, every day is a celebration: a weekly market is on somewhere, always different — a remarkable chance to step into an exceptional experience.
We set off early in the morning. Our destination is a weekly market or an organic farm — sometimes both. We watch the markets up close and all the rural activity, immerse ourselves in the daily life and trades of the countryside, and share with the villagers their natural produce: vegetables, herbs, fruit.
Then we visit a Berber family — the women are waiting for us to unveil the secrets of Moroccan cuisine, from start to finish: from preparing the bread or the msemen in a traditional oven, to roasting the barley and grinding it for flour or semolina, all the way to cooking couscous and tajines, in their savoury and sweet versions.
Here, cooking is a form of care. Eating well, sharing the table, taking time — all of it serves rest, health, and the simple pleasure of being present. While lunch comes, we drink tea and talk, at length, about spices, herbs and cooking.
After tasting the dishes we prepared with our own hands, we thank and say goodbye to our friends — the women of the village.
On the way back, we may stop in at a women’s cooperative that produces argan oil.
