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Introduction
Exotic Morocco.
Prices $2,790 (7-Nights) CAD*
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Spend a week at your exotic Moroccan cooking school located just outside the ancient imperial city of Marrakech, a walled garden city of tall graceful palms set beneath the snow-capped Atlas Mountain range. About ten minutes from the walled garden city (medina), you will find the Palmeraie, a grove of over 150,000 towering palm trees. It is here you will find your luxury villa, aptly named the ‘house of green mint.’
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The Villa. |
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Your luxury palazzo (villa), set against the backdrop of the majestic Atlas and Jbel Ette Mountains, was constructed to reflect the traditional style of Moroccan architecture while offering modern conveniences. Magnificent Moroccan antique doors open from the grand columned entrance, as well as in the great hall and dining room. The graceful archways of the villa create a calm and elegant ambience surrounding an interior courtyard filled with scented flowers and the calming sounds of a bubbling fountain.
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The Rooms. |
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The eight spacious bedrooms of Dar Liqama are decorated in traditional Moroccan style and all have bathrooms en-suite, ambient wall lighting, limestone Tadlakt wall finishes, and most rooms feature private fireplaces. The luxury villa’s large upper terrace has a panoramic view of the Atlas mountain range and sweeping views over the Palmeraie. The salon features a rustic fireplace and pergola with underfloor heating for those cool evenings. The roof terrace boasts an observatory with a telescope for an incredible view of the bright planets and endless stars in the vast Moroccan sky. Swimming pools, a Hammam (Turkish steam bath), an exercise spa, tennis courts and games room are integrated among the palm trees.
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The Culinary Experience. |
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Rich in both history and flavour, Moroccan cuisine is one of the most exotic in the world. The sophisticated Moroccan palate arose as the country played host to travellers and rulers from such disparate lands as China, India, Spain and Persia and then, finally, from serving for 40 years as a French protectorate. In particular, the French influence remains. French is the second language of Morocco, and an air of French sophistication infuses the Saharan oasis.
It is in this oasis and in your customized kitchen that you will join other cooking enthusiasts for a unique culinary vacation. The local staff will pamper you and escort you to the market, lead you on a trek in the nearby Atlas or take you camel riding. During the hands-on cooking lessons the expert chefs will introduce you to the exotic combination of ingredients and techniques that exemplify traditional Moroccan cuisine. You will learn first-hand how the fascinating history of this country has influenced its cuisine, and you will also be introduced to some fusion recipes.
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The Food. |
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Even the most jaded palates will respond to the delicious and astonishing blend of flavours that you will learn to create in your own kitchen with some great Moroccan recipes. The Tajine serves as the framework for a collage of ingredients, spices and styles. Imagine making Tajine de viande, Tajine des poissons, poulet aux olives et citron couscous, M’Choui (lamb), Harira (traditional lentil soup), salade Marocaine, cornes de gazelle (sugar-coated pastries with a delicate almond paste filling) and M’Henca (almond filled pastry). Simple and easy to prepare organic salads and vegetables take on an immediate exotic flavour within the context of Moroccan recipes.
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The Wine. |
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Forty years of French rule has left a legacy of wine, and the wines are diligently paired with the meals that you create (including Spanish, French and the recently improved Moroccan wines).
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Location. |
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Morocco lies barely 14 kilometers (9 miles) from Spain across the straits of Gibraltar. Many people think of Morocco as a Mediterranean country, but most of its coastline is on the Atlantic Ocean with many of its best-known cities, Tangiers, Rabat, Casablanca, Essaouira and Agadir stretching south along the coast.
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