Fes Palace Cooking Experience

The ancient city of Fes is universally regarded as the gastronomic capital of Morocco, and this extraordinary four-hour palace cooking experience immerses you in the culinary traditions that have made Fassi cuisine legendary throughout the Arab world. Your instructor is a dada -- one of the revered women master cooks who have preserved the intricate recipes of Fes through oral tradition for generations. The experience begins in a lavish 17th-century palace adorned with hand-carved stucco, zellige tilework, and muqarnas ceilings that recall the splendour of the Marinid dynasty. You start by accompanying the dada to a nearby spice merchant and produce market, learning how to select the freshest ingredients and negotiate like a local. Back in the palatial kitchen, you prepare a complete Fassi feast: the celebrated bastilla -- that magnificent layered pastry of pigeon, almonds, cinnamon, and icing sugar that epitomises the sweet-savoury duality of Moroccan cuisine. Alongside the bastilla, you master a slow-braised lamb tangia, a heritage couscous rolled by hand from semolina, and rfissa -- the festive chicken and lentil dish traditionally served at celebrations. The dada shares stories of palace life, wedding feasts, and the cultural significance of each dish. Your meal is served in a grand salon on hand-painted porcelain, with rose-petal water for hand washing and traditional musical accompaniment.