Cooking in Fes: A Culinary Adventure at Palais Amani

In Fes I took a cooking class at Palais Amani, a beautiful spot in the Medina with a teaching kitchen on the roof. 

Under the expert guidance of Chef Oussama, I learned to make a vegetable tagine with zaalouk, a wonderful side dish of roasted eggplant in a spicy sauce. Before the class, we walked through the souk buying ingredients from various vendors: a grocer for the produce, another stand for the olives, another for the preserved lemons, and then a quick stop to sample a few sweets, flavored with pistachios and sticky with honey.

I’m going to be honest: I’m not much of a cook. But in this beautiful setting, with detailed instruction and gorgeously fresh vegetables I had a blast. I got into it, enjoying myself (and goofing off a bit) while still executing the dishes the way the chef demonstrated. And the results were pretty good! I like spicy food, so my zaalouk reflected that preference; it was my favorite. Dessert was a simple plate of sliced fresh fruit with a little orange flower water sprinkled on top, another delightful Moroccan custom.

Food is so fundamental to our wellbeing that it’s sometimes hard to relax about it. This class taught me that the way you cook matters almost as much as what you cook — are you cooking joyously, or is it a chore? Are you stressed about getting things perfect, or are you relaxed, and confident that it’ll be tasty and nourishing no matter what? Cultivating a calm, generous mindset when we step into the kitchen and put our apron on is an essential first step in any healthy cooking practice.