§01 The experience
Fassi food is the most refined cooking in Morocco and almost none of it is in restaurants. It is in stalls, counters, hole-in-the-wall grills and bakeries, and most of it is gone by two in the afternoon. This is a guided tasting route through eight to ten of them.
Depending on the day you will eat bissara, the fava bean soup Fez runs on in winter, with olive oil and cumin; msemen and harcha straight off the griddle; maakouda potato cakes; grilled merguez and khlii; a bowl of harira; camel sausage if you are curious; and the honeyed pastry counters this city is quietly famous for. There will be more food than you expect. Arrive hungry.
Along the way your guide explains what you are eating and why it exists: why bread is never thrown away, what makes a Fassi tagine different from a Marrakchi one, how ras el hanout is blended, and what the communal oven and the street fountain still do for a neighbourhood.
It is a tasting walk rather than a restaurant tour — standing up, moving, eight or nine stops. You will not need dinner.
§02 Highlights
- 01Eight to ten tastings, all of them local counters
- 02Bissara, harira, msemen, maakouda, sfenj and khlii
- 03The Fassi pastry counters, and why this city does them best
- 04A spice blender makes ras el hanout in front of you
- 05The communal wood-fired oven, still in daily use
- 06Enough food to replace a meal
§03 Day by day
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0:00
Riad pickup
Your guide meets you and sets the route around what is cooking that day.
-
0:20
Breads and griddles
Msemen, harcha, and the neighbourhood oven where the street sends its dough.
-
0:50
Soups and savoury
Bissara or harira, maakouda, olives and the pickle counters.
-
1:30
Grills and the butchers' lane
Merguez, kefta, khlii — and camel sausage if you want it.
-
2:10
Spices and sweets
Ras el hanout blended in front of you, then the honey pastry counters.
-
2:45
Mint tea to finish
Sit down, drink tea, and work out how you are going to move.
-
3:00
Finish
Drop-off at your riad.
§04 What the price covers
- Included
- +All tastings across eight to ten stops
- +Licensed food guide — English, French or Arabic
- +Private: your group only
- +Mint tea and bottled water
- +Riad pickup and drop-off
- Not included
- −Alcohol
- −Extra portions or anything you take away
- −Gratuities
§05 Questions
Will it replace a meal?
Yes, comfortably. Most people skip dinner afterwards.
Can you do it vegetarian?
Yes. The bread, soup, pastry and spice stops carry the walk easily without meat. Tell us when you book.
Is the food safe?
We only use stalls we eat at ourselves, all with high turnover, and you get bottled water throughout.
What if I have allergies?
Tell us in advance. Nut and gluten allergies need notice, because the bread and pastry stops dominate the route.
Morning or evening?
Morning for bissara, bread and the markets; evening for grills and sweets. Both are good — they are simply different walks.
Do I pay now?
No. Reserve now and pay on the day.
