When I think of Morocco, I immediately think of a cacophony of flavors and cultures melding together into one amazing, vibrant and unlike any other. The beauty is everywhere from the tiles to the tapestries, the dancing, singing and deliciously in Morocco’s pairings of food.
Morocco has always been on my bucket list of travel destinations for my family, since my honeymoon in Epcot where I first tasted authentic Moroccan food at Restaurant Marrakesh. It was love at first bite and I’ve been many times since. I can’t seem to satiate my appetite for everything Moroccan.
I live in the suburbs in Indiana and sadly, there are no Moroccan restaurants anywhere near where I live. So I started thinking, where there are no doors…create windows. Create all the food windows you want.
I may not be able to whisk my family away on a trip to Morocco anytime soon but I can certainly bring Morocco home to us. I’ve been wanting to experiment more with themed dinners for some time. We’ve got the themed birthday parties down, after many years of practice so why not embark on a journey of hosting dinner parties themed from different cultures and cuisines from around the world.
Luckily, my family is game for everything. We are a family of travelers and foodies. I spent my childhood summers in another country. My father is not native to this country. My children’s childhood has been infused with the spice of other cultures since they were born. We embrace differences in people, places, cultures and last (but certainly not least) food!
Our girls already have married their fond memories of belly dancing at Restaurant Marrakesh with the amazing foods they’ve eaten there on several occasions so it wasn’t too difficult to get them to embrace the idea of Moroccan food and ambiance at home. Who knows, maybe I’ll even do a little belly dancing. Probably not but you never know.
These are some of our favorite dishes:
Chicken Bastilla
Baked layers of thin pastry filled with minced chicken and almonds sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Beef Brewat Rolls
Baked layers of thin pastry stuffed with season minced beef, eggs, fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Chicken Kebabs ( The national Moroccan dish)
Couscous with Lamb Shank The national Moroccan dish – steamed tiny semolina pasta with steamed vegetables.
Bastilla
Crispy leaves of Pastry topped with Vanilla Cream and sprinkled with Cinnamon, Powdered Sugar, and toasted almonds.
Marrakesh Express
Rum, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, topped with Dark Rum.
But to recreate an experience involves more than just recipes and food, you need ambiance; the sights, sounds, and colors of Morocco. This can easily be accomplished with a little Moroccan music playing softly in the background as the smells of Morocco permeate the entire house as you cook. You are halfway there. But how do you get the full effect; the full immersive experience? You’ve got to add that Je ne sais quoi.
I’ve found these beautiful pieces to give you that authentic Moroccan feel.
Moroccan Medallion Dinnerware
Moroccan Floral Cut-Out Metal Lantern
Francesca Moroccan Ivory & Light Blue Area Rug
Moroccan Tunis Glasses
If you could travel anywhere in the entire world, where would it be? Maybe you can’t catch a plane to Casa Blanca on a whim but that doesn’t mean that we can’t experience all the beauty and flavor of Morocco via a Moroccan dinner party.
