Eating at Jemaa El-Fna

I arrived at the Marrakesh in the afternoon and somehow managed to take a bus to the riad where I would be staying for the next couple of days. The riad was actually just inside the medina walls which means that I would need to walk a bit to get to the central area of the medina. The district where the riad is seems to be very residential, and you would be hard pressed to find a tourist here. I stick out like a sore thumb here but no one seems to pay me any mind. It was early evening and I thought I should just go an have dinner. After all, I think I would have a lot to see at the market afterwards.

The Jemaa El-Fna is the largest square in the medina of Marrakesh. This is where everything happens so it is not surprising to see how busy it is. Past the residential area you can see the stalls start building up and until you are engulfed in a full blown market. My first priority is food and the central area has a lot of food stalls. I didn’t know which one was good so I just randomly picked a place which as a lot of customers. I saw people eating something which I could not identify but I just pointed at it and I was given a plateful. Looking at it, I still couldn’t tell what it was. I think it is lamb but I couldn’t tell what it was until much later – it was lamb head, a local delicacy and a lot of shops sell that.

I don’t think I am averse to eating such bizarre parts of animals. I didn’t really know how to eat it and I was just following the people around me. You eat it with your hands though the stall owner gave me cutlery to eat. The lamb was very tender but I think the fat was a bit too overwhelming that I got tired of it very quickly. I like lamb but I thought I should have done better. Another tourist beside me couldn’t take it and had to run out. Later I would find out that I should have eaten the lamb head with the provided cumin and salt mix. That is something I have used before and I know it is perfect for lamb. I would probably try again the next time.

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