They say the best way to know a culture is through its cuisine. If that's true, this year's Moroccan cooking class — in a charming villa surrounded by gardens — got us closer to the heart of Morocco than almost anything else we did.
We eased into it with a Moroccan tea service in the garden, surrounded by flowers in bloom. We learned about the cultural significance of tea service while passing around freshly baked bread from a traditional oven. It's one of those moments that tells you right away: you're in good hands.
From there, we moved inside and took turns hand-rolling the dough for dessert cookies before splitting into paired workstations to prepare our own dishes — spice-rich tagine, zaalouk (a smoky eggplant dip), and a bright tomato and bean salad. A Moroccan chef guided the whole class from her station at the front of the room, and each workstation had a screen so we could watch her technique step by step. It was hands-on without being chaotic — the kind of experience where even the hesitant cooks found themselves relaxing and enjoying it.
Then came the best part: sitting down together al fresco to eat what we'd made. I think the group agreed it was the best tagine we had the entire trip.
