Eating Lamb Head in Marrakesh

I didn’t realize how tired I was from the trip to Ait Ben-Haddou. It takes us more than three hours one way, and that probably explains why the driver was in a hurry to get back to town. The trip back was uneventful. We had the usual stop for a toilet break and snacks if you want. At this point, it seems the air is getting somewhat chilly. It was warm the whole day but since we were in the mountains it felt cooler now. We managed to avoid driving in the dark in the mountains. It was when we got to Marrakesh that the sun set which is good for us. We were dropped off somewhere near the Jemaa El-Fna but at that point the driver didn’t care anymore.

I complained to Ghizlane at the Riad Bousskri about my disappointment but I doubt that there was anything she could do. She wondered if I would be interested to go to Essaouira, something I mentioned the previous day, but I think I will have to pass. The next time I go here, I would probably break away from the group and head straight to the view points. In the meantime, we got back in the city just in time for dinner so I thought I should have dinner. I heard about a place called Chez Lamine which is known for roast lamb. I wanted to try it out and I saw the sign which has that name. Unfortunately, I was told that lamb was sold out and I wanted to try something else instead. The menu was in French so I didn’t know what it was tête de mouton. I don’t know French, so I didn’t know what it was, I only knew that it was lamb. I was served an impressive plate of lamb sprinkled with salt and cumin.

I was actually surprised how large it was. After a bit o poking around I got a huge lesson in French. Tête de mouton actually means head of mutton. I didn’t enjoy it the previous day but I accidentally ordered it again. At least the presentation is much better now. In fact, it wasn’t just the presentation that is better, the taste itself was much better. The salt and cumin really made all the difference. The last time I had it, I wasn’t eating it with the salt and cumin so it was rather tasteless and very fatty which made me lose my appetite. What a huge difference does the salt and cumin make. The meat was very tender. I try to ignore the skull which I was slowly but surely exposing as I peel away the meat. Again, I would eat with msemen which is their standard bread. It turned out to be a delicious meal and I was much happier this time around. The following day, I would later find out that this wasn’t the Chez Lamine I was looking for. It is probably a trap for tourists. The sign could have said “The shop beside Chez Lamine” and I would have still gone in anyway. For the real deal, you have to go next door.

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