Despite being the second largest city in Morocco, Fez (or Fes) remains a little off the beaten path when it comes to visitors. It doesn’t have the immediate tourist-friendly appeal of somewhere like Marrakesh or Casablanca, but for those willing to get stuck in, the city has a huge amount to offer – not least the best food in the country. Rabat may be the Moroccan capital, but Fez is its undisputed capital of food.
Home to 1.4 million people, Fez sits at the crossroads of northwest Africa. To the north, you have Tangiers and the Straits of Gibraltar; to the south, the relentless wastes of the Sahara Desert. Head west and you’ll reach the ports of Rabat and Casablanca, steeped in colonial history, or go east to discover the rich cultural heritage of Algeria and Tunisia.
It’s no wonder that Fez is a huge melting pot of influences. The indigenous Berbers have had a huge impact on the local cuisine, but much of what we consider to be ‘Moroccan’ has actually come from other cultures. The use of dried fruit, nuts and spices actually came from invading and immigrating Arabs in the seventh century. Olives and lemons – such vital parts of a chicken tagine – were introduced by Moorish traders. The heavy use of barbecues and griddles came from Ottoman Turks, who occupied Fez in the sixteenth century. The café culture that Morocco has become famous for is a legacy left behind by the French, who made Fez part of French Morocco in 1912. What seems on the surface to be a clear picture of Moroccan food is in fact a tapestry, woven from a mixture of European, Moorish, Turkish and North African threads – and Fez sits right in the middle of it.
Visit the city today and the patchwork of cultures is plain to see. Many of Fez’s districts still have French names but the architecture harks back to the city’s Arabic and Moorish roots, from the numerous old mosques and madrasas (an Arabic word that refers to religious and educational institutions) to the UNESCO-protected Fes el Bali, or ‘Medina of Fez’ – the colossal old city that contains most of the city’s street food vendors. Finding food here can be tricky – the Medina is a labyrinth of alleyways that even locals get lost in regularly – but the rewards are great and plentiful for those with persistence. Here are a few things you should keep an eye out for as you wander through the maze.