Eating snails at Marrakesh night market -Morocco travel diary #2

Jemaa El Fna, the large central market square, is the hub of Marrakesh life. As I explained in my earlier posts the weather was slightly outside of the usual climate associated with a city so close to the Sahara but the rain didn’t stop the night market going ahead.

(Pics all mine. You can see more amateur iPhone photos on my Insta @benstvparty)

What sets this food market apart from millions of other such central market locations around the world is that it’s not just flooded with tourists looking for faux-authentic cuisine.

Here locals and travellers rub shoulders together with crowds flowing out of the nearby Koutoubia Mosque after evening prayers.

So what’s on offer?

Much of the cuisine is similar to that of Turkey, think grilled meat and vegetables. For more traditional Moroccan tajine it’s better to head to a restaurant with a proper oven. There are some more tourist-heavy stalls but it is easy to spot where the local families are eating and pull up a seat there.

One of the things I most enjoyed about traveling through the formerly French parts of Africa are similarities to French lifestyles, such as the café culture and some familiar culinary delicacies.

Anyone who enjoys munching on some snails in France knows that usually the little critters are buried deep in their shells and really serve more a vehicle for garlic than anything else.

That’s not the case here. For very little money you get a bowl filled with snails with a thin soup. When I say snails I don’t just mean a shells you dig little indistinguishable blobs out of. I mean snails. Their whole bodies with their mouths open, little eyes on stakes staring up at you with their shells perched in their backs.

It’s a much more intense experience than you’ll find at a Paris bistro but makes for much meatier, filling eating.

While the food is good and you can get a lot for your money what I found really interesting is the entertainment going on around the market stalls. Ranging from guys selling knock-off iPhones to snake-charmers mesmerizing cobras, this was not just a show for tourists.

Storytellers spoke in Arabic stood surrounded by captivated crowds of locals while women offers manicures and henna tattoos. Monkeys wearing diapers, performing tricks and posing for photos, however, showed a darker side to this entertainment.

Nevertheless, the blending of tourists and locals made it one of best places to really experience Moroccan life.

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You can find my previous posts here:

Hostel Riad Marrakech Rouge – My favourite hostel ever!
Rain in the desert - My Morocco travel diary #1
An ancient Greek historian and a hangover made me go to a deserted island
Introducing myself: Your local drunk Irish writer