Moroccan Cooking Class in Fez: Menu, Price and How to Choose

Why Fez

Fez has the most refined cooking in Morocco, shaped by centuries of merchant families and Andalusian refugees. Pastilla, the sweet and savoury pie, is the dish every Fassi family is proud of.

What to expect

• A tagine, salads and bread, and you eat what you cook.
• A market visit may be included, so ask.
• Dietary needs: vegetarian is widely available, but vegan, gluten free and allergies need notice.

Prices

A private cooking class in Fez with me is from 100 US dollars per guest. Ask me for a quote for your dates.

Book

See our Unique Experiences and book a class. Related: artisan workshops.

A typical menu

• A tagine with chicken and preserved lemons, or vegetables for vegetarians.
• Several cooked salads, such as zaalouk made with aubergine.
• Fresh bread, and sometimes a lesson at the neighborhood oven.
• Mint tea, and often a simple dessert.

Some classes also teach pastilla, the sweet and savoury pie that Fez is famous for.

Dishes of Fez worth learning

Dish	What it is
Pastilla	Thin warqa pastry layered with chicken or pigeon, almonds, eggs, cinnamon and sugar, the pride of every Fassi kitchen
Tagine with preserved lemon and olives	Chicken slowly cooked with ginger, saffron and preserved lemons
Kefta tagine	Spiced meatballs in tomato sauce, finished with eggs
Zaalouk and taktouka	Cooked salads of aubergine, and of peppers and tomato
Harira	The tomato, lentil and chickpea soup that breaks the fast in Ramadan
Seffa	Sweet steamed vermicelli or couscous with cinnamon and almonds

The spices of a Moroccan kitchen

Most Fassi dishes are built on a small set of spices: cumin, sweet paprika, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper and saffron, with fresh coriander and parsley. Ras el hanout, the spice merchant blend, can hold more than twenty ingredients. In the market you will smell all of them, and I explain which ones are worth taking home.

A class step by step

• Morning walk through a food market, buying vegetables, herbs and spices.
• Tea and a short introduction to the dishes in a family house or riad kitchen.
• Cooking together for two to three hours, with each guest at their own station.
• Baking or carrying the bread to the neighbourhood oven, the ferran, where families have baked their loaves for centuries.
• Lunch together at the table, eating everything you cooked.

How to choose a class

• Ask whether the class is private or shared, and how many people cook together.
• Ask whether a market visit is included, so you shop for the spices and vegetables yourself.
• Tell the host about allergies and diets when you book.
• Check how long the class lasts and whether you eat what you cook.

If you prefer a quieter alternative, tea and a home cooked meal with a family can be as memorable as a class. Ask me about Unique Experiences in and around Fez.