What about making merry in Morocco?

I wondered if Christmas was actually celebrated in Morocco, so went digging.
I found that Morocco is becoming one of the most sought-after destinations at Christmas and New Year’s time for travelers from cold-weather countries. Its sunny skies, colorful allure, and variety of cultures and landscapes would have to be so tempting to all the northern hemisphere folk shivering under the snow.


On the Go tours has three options, all starting in Marrakesh on the 23rd December. Choose between an 8 day Christmas in Morocco package,  the 10 day  Rock the Kasbah tour, which also gives you New Year or  the 11 day Surf the New Year tour.

Or instead of staying around Marrakesh, Journey Beyond Travel  suggests travelling to one of three extraordinary (and lesser known) regions that will make your trip both memorable and exciting.
The small coastal town of Mirleft with great beaches (looking a lot like our kiwi beaches actually); Ouirgane and Marigha in the mountains (an area scattered with Berber villages and a good starting or stopping point for treks in the Atlas range); or Skoura, an Oasis.



Nomadic presents a visit all of Morocco’s majestic Imperial cities at Christmas time in one fantastic adventure tour. Journey to Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, Todra Gorge, the Sahara Desert, and Ait Benhaddou, before finishing the action-packed tour in the bustling Imperial city of Marrakech.
This hotel-based adventure tour uses 3 star hotels and a Berber camp in the desert. Transport is by minivan and 4x4.  All of the options look amazing!
If you stay in Marrakesh, a visit to the night market is a must.

Then visit some of the kasbahs:

 I thought there might not be christmas trees in Morocco, but I found one in a mall:










And there are some fantastic restaurants:

But if you really can't get away, why not bring Morocco to you? Have an untraditional Christmas dinner - starting with mint tea, spiced nuts, bread dipped in dukkah,

Follow with  couscous, beef or chicken tagine, rich pigeon meat pie dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar, or sardines coated with a flavourful combination of coriander, parsley, cumin and a hint of chilli. Fish with Chermoula (a combination of herbs and spices used as a marinade before grilling over coals, and as a dipping sauce).

Perhaps you'd prefer kebabs, calamari and grilled sardines, the more unusual sweet cheek meat of sheep’s heads, snails cooked in a spicy broth that wards off colds, and skewers of lamb’s liver with caul fat, and  Makouda, little deep-fried potato balls, delicious dipped into spicy harissa sauce.

Moroccan meals begin with at least seven cooked vegetable salads to scoop up with bread. They can include green peppers and tomatoes, sweet carrots or courgette purée, and a dish of local olives alongside. Zaalouk is a smoked aubergine dip, seasoned with garlic, paprika, cumin and a little chilli powder.

Then of course  hit the desserts. Turkish delight.  Or Moroccan  oranges. Or coconut truffles. Or moroccan meringue cake. Or all four.

 Here's the Moroccan Oranges recipe from Simply recipes: Slice the top and bottom off 3-4 oranges. Remove rind and ALL pith (else the fruit will be bitter), then cut the orange into 1/4 inch rounds. Measure a quarter cup orange flower water. Sprinkle a little of it in the bottom of a wide-bottomed glass container and layer the orange slices on top, sprinkling more orange flower water over each orange layer as you go. Add any remaining orange flower water, cover the container and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour. To serve, remove orange slices from container and arrange on a plate. Add a little of the remaining liquid. Serve, sprinkling about 1-2 Tbspoons powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon over the fruit.

Or try these Moroccan White Truffles (Adapted from Cooking with Alia ). Mix together 100 grams of sweetened condensed milk and 2/3 cup (fresh if possible) shredded coconut. Let sit for 15 minutes. Roll the mixture into little balls, insert half a macadamia nut in each one and roll in  1/8 cup more shredded coconut. Cool in the refrigerator for 5 or more hours before serving.Yum!