Destination Morocco Podcast
Destinations Morocco is a direct ground operator based in Houston, Texas, with an office in Marrakech — offering custom private tours, small-group departures, and white-label itineraries for travel advisors and agencies.
On our podcast, host Azdean Elmoustaquim — born and raised in Marrakech — takes you on an exploration of his country's distinct culture, vibrant history, and stunning attractions, alongside co-host and producer Ted.
Azdean prepares you for the real Morocco: where to go, what to expect, real costs and prices, safety (including specifically for female travelers), the kinds of scams to watch for in the bazaars, useful local phrases, and so much more.
New: a dedicated series built for travel advisors and agencies, digging into commission structures, client objections, seasonality, and everything else you need to sell Morocco with confidence.
New episodes every 1st and 15th. Whether you're planning your own trip or building one for a client, our podcast unpacks the mystery and opens up discovery of an amazing land. We invite you along for the journey.
Learn more or request a custom quote at destinationsmorocco.com.
Destination Morocco Podcast
Dig Into Genuine Moroccan Dishes in Fès
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
It’s time to talk about food!
Azdean invites Fès restauranteur Aziz Zgani to explain native Moroccan dishes (and their ingredients!) such as pastilla, special filo pastry, tagine and a beef jerky that is unique to Fès and its dry climate.
Vegetarian options abound, as menus become more diverse and chefs more well-versed. And Aziz talks about the cultural history of dishes, particularly couscous, a dish for people to gather around.
Coming from Fès, everything is "refined:" traditions, culture, people: this is reflected in the cuisine and its international roots. Aziz shares some background history on Fès as a multi-ethnic sanctuary hundreds of years ago, providing a welcome home to Jews, Spanish, Berbers and Arabs, all of whom contributed to the city's distinct identity.
This may be the biggest surprise: pigeon pastilla?! Yes, it's true, and it's a delicacy! Although most restaurants these days default to chicken, pigeon can still be found and Azdean talks about growing up with it as a familiar, and delicious, meal.
This episode provides a great introduction to Moroccan food, and will help you become familiar with exotic menus and dishes when you arrive. It's the first of an ongoing series of episodes that will profile Morocco's unique cuisine, with the help of Azdean's wife Khadija, who runs a catering business in Houston, serving Moroccan food, to inspire your taste buds and cooking skills!
Resources Mentioned in this episode:
