Marrakech’s main square has always been the city’s showcase. When Queen Victoria sent the pasha an elephant as a present, this is where it was displayed. When the Glaoli, pasha of Marrakech for much of the first half of the 20th century, had his setting of scores, this is where his enemies were beheaded; their heads salted and hung on the nearby city walls. These days the Jemma el Fna serves a more peaceful purpose, as the centre of entertainment. At sundown, half of the square is covered by stalls and tables; benches are wheeled in and food laid out. Smoke from the first fires rises up in a string of thick plumes. Across the square, entertainers, including story-tellers, snake charmers, acrobats, musicians, old sages who can cure diabolical conditions with a range of natural remedies, will be warming up. Here, then, are the makings of a unique evening of food and diversion, a recipe recognised by UNESCO when it inscribed the square on its list of the world’s Intangible Heritage.
Street Food
Eating in the square is a brief but entertaining experience. Each stall has a number, its food (and prices) displayed, and a front-man to pull in the clients, many with Anglo-Saxon references that include M&S and Jarnie Oliver. Food is always fresh – nothing is kept over from one day to the next – and hygiene, although basic, is usually dependable. Sheep’s head and offal and a snail soup are among the more exotic offerings but there are also meguez (spicy sausages), fried calamari, chicken kebabs, kofta and a long list of other less challenging dishes.
Riad Dining
If you are staying in a riad in the medina that doesn’t have a restaurant, chances are you will still be able to eat at home. These can sometimes be the most delicious and most memorable meals, an opportunity to sample Marrakshi home-cooking. You will have a choice of what you eat- chicken or lamb, tagine or couscous, fruit or pastries or both, and while this is being prepared, you can be in the hamman or watching the sunset over the rooftops of Marrakech Magical.
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