Same Men. Better Chairs. | Morocco Then & Now with Siham Lahmine
Same men, better chairs. Matthew Gray compares the Morocco he remembers from the 1970s with the Morocco Siham Lahmine lives in today, in Fez. Siham Lahmine was born in Fez, lives there now, and runs Morocco Travel Organizer, which describes itself as Morocco's first woman-owned culinary and luxury heritage tour company. But this episode isn't about her resume. It's about food as inheritance. WHAT WE TALK ABOUT Matthew remembers Morocco in the 70s: men squatting on the road, women doing all the visible work, little boys swarming to be his guide. Siham tells him what Fez is today. Sitting, not squatting. A community that is a radar. A 1,200-year-old Medina where you feel it if you don't belong. She's careful not to generalize: she's talking about the men you see on the street, not every man. And we talk food the way Siham's mom would want us to. Not just tagine and couscous.- Bissara: fava bean soup thickened in a clay tagine with cumin and olive oil- Pastilla from Fez: shredded chicken, fried ground almonds, caramelized onions, honey, and FIFTEEN eggs, topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon- Tanjia: meat and spices buried in hot ashes for three hours. You know it's done when you shake it and the bone stops sloshing- Medfuna ("the buried"): a nomadic pizza from the Sahara- Berber vs. Amazigh: why Siham avoids the word Berber, and what the original people of Morocco call themselves FAVORITE MOMENT: Siham's grandmother called couscous "the royal ball." She'd squeeze the grain with vegetables and meat, roll it in her hand, and feed it directly to her grandchildren. Eating with your hands brings bliss, baraka. That's inheritance. And Siham's mom? Her kitchen is her kingdom. She says yes, yes, yes, then pushes you out without realizing it. Aunties, daughter, and a son who cooks for himself in Germany, all kicked out. Matthew wants to steal the technique. IF YOU'RE GOING TO MOROCCO: Siham says visit the Marrakech souk by 6 pm, when the carts are coming in and the movement starts. And try timija tea in the High Atlas Mountains, a woolly plant that looks like mint and grows by the rivers. Spiky and sweet. Salam means peace. Bislama means goodbye. FOLLOW SIHAM LAHMINEhttps://MoroccoTravelOrganizer.com/https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089627667747https://www.instagram.com/moroccotravelorganizer/ FOLLOW MATTHEW GRAY50 Tastes Of Gray: Broadcasting from Honolulu. One guest. No rules. New episodes [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/50tastesofgrayFacebook: https://facebook.com/50TastesOfGrayPodcastLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/matthew-gray-hawaiiSubstack: https://50TastesOfGray.substack.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50TastesOfGray About Matthew: Grand Diplôme Le Cordon Bleu Paris, cooked on the road for The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, private chef for Robin Williams, Dan Aykroyd and Paramount studio heads. Chef since the '80s, Hawaii since the '90s. "I don't care about monetizing. I care about engagement, respect, and making friends. I go for the funny bone, not the jugular." #Morocco #MoroccanFood #50TastesOfGray