Experience Marrakech: Food and Market Tour of Djemaa El Fna, Including Traditional Dinner

Begin your Moroccan food odyssey at Djemaa El Fna at 6pm, as countless food vendors begin to fill this riotous main square of Marrakech. Soak up the heady atmosphere of this UNESCO World Heritage Site before following your guide into the small side streets off the square to discover food shops and stalls most tourists don't know about.

Try several varieties of olives, nuts and other popular Moroccan snacks before heading to a poultry and beef market to watch locals haggle for meat. Bargaining is very much a way of life here and observing this tradition will give you deeper insight into the local culture.

Next, it’s time to visit a spice market and learn how Morocco became a spice trading center. Marvel at the myriad of colors and fragrances of spices such as saffron, cardamon, anise, cumin, paprika and turmeric, and learn how they’re used in Moroccan tagines and other dishes.

Tear yourself away from the marvelous array of spices and head into the souks, or open-air markets, to discover Morocco’s many traditional breads including the pan-fried msemen and crepe-like beghrir. Dare to try Moroccan delicacies such as cow hoof, sheep’s head or ghoulal, a snail soup.

Finally, after exploring the abundance of intriguing foods at Marrakech’s souks and markets, it’s time to eat! Settle down with your small group of fellow foodies to a traditional Moroccan dinner at a restaurant in the heart of Djemma El Fna as it reaches its daily crescendo of activity. Enjoy some of the best people-watching of your life as you delight in the complex flavors of your meal amid peddlers, monkeys and snake charmers.

Your 3.5-hour food tour of Morocco ends here, though the unique sights, smells and tastes of Marrakech are sure to stay with you.