Discover Morocco’s Foodie City Fez and the Historic Souk with Palais Amani and the Fez Cooking School
Exploring the historic souks of Fez offers a captivating journey into Morocco’s rich cultural and artisanal heritage. Nestled within the labyrinthine alleys of Fes el-Bali, the city’s ancient medina and a UNESCO World Heritage site, these markets have been vibrant centres of commerce and craftsmanship for over a millennium.
Morocco is by far North Africa’s gastronomic star and the city of Fez combines flavours from across Morocco inside Africa’s largest car free medina. Fez is also the craft capital of Morocco where visitors will encounter weavers, potters and the famous tanners. This is an open air Arab-Andalusian museum also home to Morocco’s finest cuisine.
In Morocco, a “souk” refers to a market where daily life and tradition intertwine. Beyond mere shopping venues, souks serve as communal hubs where locals gather to purchase goods, socialize, and exchange news. Each souk in Fez possesses a distinct character, often named after the specific goods sold there, ranging from fresh produce and spices to handcrafted copperware and leather items.
Boujloud Souk: Situated near the iconic Bab Boujloud (Blue Gate), this market offers a sensory feast of fresh produce, meats, spices, and traditional Moroccan foods. The vibrant stalls and bustling atmosphere provide an authentic introduction to Fez’s market culture.
Tanner’s Souk: Perhaps the most renowned of Fez’s souks, the Tanner’s Quarter showcases centuries-old leather production methods. Visitors can observe the iconic dye pits from elevated terraces and purchase high-quality leather goods, including bags, slippers, and jackets. A sprig of mint is often provided to help mask the pungent aromas.
Attarine Souk: Located near the Al-Attarine Madrasa, this market is famed for its aromatic spices and traditional apothecaries. Here, one can find a plethora of herbs, perfumes, and culinary spices essential to Moroccan cuisine.
Seffarine Square: This area resonates with the melodic sounds of coppersmiths hammering away, crafting exquisite pots, pans, and decorative items. The craftsmanship displayed here highlights Fez’s longstanding metalworking traditions.
Souk el Henna Souk: A haven for beauty enthusiasts, this souk specialises in natural cosmetics, including henna, argan oil, and traditional kohl. It’s an ideal spot to procure authentic Moroccan beauty products.
Fez’s historic souk is also a paradise for food lovers, offering everything from aromatic spices and freshly baked bread to slow-cooked tagines and street food delicacies. If you’re looking for a true foodie experience, here’s how to explore the souk through a culinary lens. Must-Visit Food Spots in the Souk:
1. Bread & Pastries – Try warm khobz (traditional Moroccan bread) from a communal oven or sample msemmen (flaky, pan-fried flatbread) with honey and cheese.
2. Spice Markets – Wander through stalls selling saffron, ras el hanout, and dried herbs, with vendors happy to explain their uses.
3. Street Food – Snack on maakouda (crispy potato fritters), sfenj (Moroccan doughnuts), or grilled sardines.
4. Olives & Pickles – A souk staple, available in every variety, from spicy harissa-marinated to preserved lemons.
5. Traditional Sweets – Sample chebakia (sesame-honey pastries) or briouat (almond-stuffed pastries).
6. Meat – Visit small eateries for slow-cooked lamb with prunes or khlia (preserved beef with eggs).
7. Mint Tea – Refresh with a steaming cup of mint tea with herbs in a lovely Traditional Herb Tea Shop; BA ABDELLAH «The Tea Man of Fez».
To truly immerse in the spirit of Morocco a stay in a riad is key and Palais Amani has been at the heart of all things Fez for many years and offers the finest Moroccan hospitality. Guests enter via two huge wooden doors into a peaceful garden and courtyard with birdsong as a soundtrack. Palais Amani offers 21 individually designed bedrooms and suites and is home to Eden restaurant with alfresco dining, a rooftop bar, library and underground hammam. A large garden of 600m2 is at the centre of the palace filled with citrus trees. The traditional Moroccan afternoon tea ceremony is performed here daily in this tranquil haven.
Palais Amani celebrates the very best of Fez and all things foodie and is home to the Fez Cooking School.
Palais Amani and the Fez Cooking School (located on Palais Amani’s roof terrace) truly offer the best experience to celebrate this unique imperial city. Guests can dine, hammam, unwind, learn to cook, experience the Moroccan tea ceremony, take guided tours and go on local retreats, all set up by the hotel.
Fez Cooking School at Palais Amani For a truly authentic break and to understand a country’s culture you “need to eat it” says Palais Amani’s head chef Houssam Laasiri. He has not only been creating many diverse Moroccan dishes for Palais Amani’s restaurant but also running the Fez Cooking School which is open to all. The Fez Cooking School offers visitors to Fez a unique insight into this magical city combining a guided foodie tour of the medina followed by a cookery class, all in a new purpose-built cookery school on Palais Amani’s roof terrace. Private and group workshops are available. The four hour experience includes a tour of the souks tasting food along a two-hour tour, a two hour cooking class with the newly gathered ingredients and then lunch. Priced €176 per person.
The Moroccan tea ceremony at Palais Amani Within the peaceful 600m2 garden at the centre of Palais Amani guests are invited to experience the quintessential essence of Moroccan culture – traditional Moroccan tea making. Palais Amani’s tea master Ba Mohammed will show guests the method and talk through the history behind tea making in this country. From boiling the water to selecting the freshest mint and sugarloafs. Guests will also learn about the tea sets used to serve the tea and enjoy some special baked goods too. The ceremony lasts 30 minutes is available daily and priced €10 per person.
This is a hotel built with passion and local knowledge. In 2006 Jemima Mann-Baha and husband Abdelali Mann-Baha bought the former home of one of Fez’s most prominent families (now Palais Amani), which had laid abandoned and deteriorating in the heart of the medina for over a quarter of a century. Four years of extensive renovation restored the property to its old splendour and revealed many stories about family, heritage and legacy. The renovation included the maintenance of art déco features dating back to the 1930s.
Fez reached its height in the 13th century when it replaced Marrakech as the capital of Morocco. The principal monuments in the medina including palaces, riads, mosques, libraries and fountains date from this period. Today whilst Fez is no longer the capital it has retained its status as the country’s cultural, spiritual and now foodie centre recognised by UNESCO.
Fez is like nowhere else in Morocco and Palais Amani is helping to preserve the city’s heritage while also shaping its future. Visitors are invited to eat their way around this foodie city.
www.palaisamani.com 12 Derb el Miter, Oued Zhoune, Fes Medina, 30000, Morocco
B&B is priced from £180.00 per room per night
www.fezcookingschool.com Fez souk information provided by the Fez Cooking School
