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These lovely tombs are from the Saadian dynasty and date back to the 15 century, they are considered a major cultural landmark and tourist attraction

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Morocco is a mostly Sunni Muslim country. It is known to be more moderate religiously. The constitution does include beliefs of Islam in its laws

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A traditional cooking Vessel in Morccan culture, it is used to make various dishes. Some of the most tender chicken I have ever taken has come from a meal cooked in a tagine.

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A common cultural artifact that can be found in Morocco is the Hamsa, this is a common symbol that is seen in the region, it consists of an open hand with an eye at the center. This symbol is thought to be Phoenician

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King Mohammed is the current ruler of Morocco, he is the king, but the country has a parliament as well

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At these parties there is a lot of food and usually someone who paints the guest’s hands with henna. These large parties usually go on long into the night with the bride changing outfits up to 5 times throughout the night. During the next few days the newlyweds will visit friends and family and entertain guests to celebrate their union.

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The Souks , open air markets, in Fes are considered some of the most beautiful in world

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BASTILA

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 12 4 inch bastilas

3 tablespoons olive oil for cooking + 1 tablespoon olive oil to roast the almonds

2 kg whole chicken cut in pieces or 2 kg chicken legs and thighs

1 kg sliced onions

1 ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground ginger

A small pinch saffron

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups chopped fresh parsley, about 1 large bunch

1 cup chopped fresh coriander, about half a large bunch

400 gr blanched almonds

1 tablespoon honey

Ground cinnamon

Icing sugar

10 eggs, scrambled, plus 1 egg beaten for brushing

220 gr unsalted butter, divided

500 gr filo pastry

METHOD

***FILLING PREPARATION***

• Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F). In a large casserole, heat the olive oil and add the chicken, onions, turmeric, ginger, saffron and salt and pepper. Leave over medium heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the parsley and coriander along with 1 cup water (about 240ml). Bring to the boil, lower the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Leave to simmer gently until the chicken is cooked, about 50 min.

• Meanwhile, prepare the almonds. Place the blanched almonds in a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake in the oven until golden, about 18 minutes. Once the almonds are cold enough to handle, transfer them in a food processor or a nut grinder. Add 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoons icing sugar to the roasted almonds and process until coarsely ground. Set aside until ready to assemble.

• When the chicken is cooked, take the casserole off the heat and remove the chicken pieces from the pan (leaving the cooked herbs and onions inside the pan). Add 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons icing sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the onions and reduce the sauce to caramelize the onions. Leave over medium-low heat with no lid on top until all the liquid evaporates and the onions are golden brown, about 30 to 40 min. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions from sticking to the pan. No liquid should be left in the pan, except oil.  Add salt if necessary.

• Once the chicken has cooled down to room temperature, pull out the chicken meat and discard the skin and the bones. Chop the chicken into smaller chunks, (about 1 cm/0.4 inch). Place in the fridge until ready to assemble.

• In a small frying pan, melt 20 gr butter, crack the eggs and scramble them. Set aside until ready to assemble. Make sure that the scrambled eggs are not under cooked and runny because liquid can affect the pastry during the assembling process.

Now you can start assembling. You can prepare the filling up to two days in advance.

***ASSEMBLING***

• Preheat oven to 200 C (390 F).

• Unroll the filo pastry sheets, keeping them under a damp towel to prevent them from drying out. Use a small round shallow dish (of about 10 cm (4 inch) large) and with a sharp knife, cut the pastry sheets according to the size of your dish. Cut the filo sheets into squares large enough to fit the dish and to cover the top of the pie. You will need two sheets for each pie. Check the notes below regarding the size of the filo sheets.

• Heat the remaining butter until melted. Place a filo sheet on a work surface, brush it with melted butter and top it with another filo sheet that you also brush with butter. Gently place the two layers of filo sheet in the shallow dish making sure that the pastry sheet touches the inner edges of the dish.

• Inside the dish, place in this order: a layer of chicken chunks (about 1 cm/0.4 inch), a layer of caramelized onions (less than 0.5 cm/0.2 inch), a layer of scrambled eggs (about 1 cm/0.4 inch) and finally, a layer of coarse almonds (less than 0.5 cm/0.2 inch). Fold the overlapping filo pastry in over the top to cover the pie. Brush lightly with melted butter. Carefully, flip the bastila and remove it from the dish and place in a greased baking tray.

• Brush the pies with the beaten egg and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 25 min. Serve hot and sprinkle with icing sugar and cinnamon.

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The Moroccan education system is currently undergoing a complete overhaul. The classroom sizes tend to be on the large side and there is a great language diversity. The combination of languages in Morocco can make things difficult for the students and illiteracy rates are very high.