Eat Local: A Typical Berber Breakfast in a Berber village home, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Descending from our hike in Toubkal National Park near Asni in the High Atlas Mountains [see our previous blog post], we walked into a Berber village (foreground) where we were invited into a family’s home; Morocco

 

From the viewpoint in Toubkal National Park near Asni in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, we hiked down to one of Asni’s Berber villages.  On the way into town we saw a little girl, about 4 years of age, who was quite shy, but did her mother’s bidding and had us follow her to her home where we were warmly greeted (in the Berber language, translated by our Berber guide from Imlil) by her mother and invited in for a traditional Berber breakfast.  Afterwards we hiked back (about 15 minutes) to our resort, Kasbah Tamadot, and passed a number of women shepherds with flocks of sheep and goats that were heading south to open public lands where the flocks could graze.  A pretty idyllic scene!

 

As we entered the Berber village we were greeted by four young local boys, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Our hostess — the mother of the little girl about 4 years of age, who was quite shy, but did her mother’s bidding and had us follow her from the trail to her Berber village home — served us a traditional Berber breakfast; Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

“The Amazigh (Berber) cuisine is a traditional cuisine with a varied history and influence of numerous flavours from distinct regions across North Africa. The traditional cuisine draws influences from Morocco’s Atlas mountains and heavily populated Berber cities and regions, as well as Algeria’s Berber cities and regions.” – Wilkipedia

On the breakfast tray were (pictured clockwise, from the lower left) a bowl of nuts and roasted chickpeas (garbonzo beans), amlou (see below), olive oil, green olives, honey, savory crackers, black olives and (center) homemade cheesey butter.  Separately we were served a bread basket with two large rounds of homemade bread (flour and semolina).  And, of course, there was freshly made mint tea, the national drink.

Amlou, a thick brown paste with a texture similar to organic peanut butter, is a Berber recipe that consists of a mixture of argan oil (grown in Morocco) and almonds and honey.  Amlou has been likened to a sort of Moroccan nutella (made from Hazelnuts in the Piedmonte region of northern Italy).

 

The intrepid explorer and our hostess at her home in the Berber village, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

The kitchen (note how small it is) in our hostess’ home in the Berber village, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

From the height of the village, we could see women shepherds with flocks of sheep and goats that south to open public lands where the flocks could graze; Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Everyone in the Berber village that we visited were farmers (the men), while many women tended flocks of sheep and goats, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2018 by Richard C. Edwards.  All Rights Reserved Worldwide.  Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.

 

 

Hiking in Toubkal National Park from Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

As we started our uphill hike in Toubkal National Park from near our resort, Kasbah Tamadot, we looked back at one of the nearby Berber villages that are districts of Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Down the road from Kasbah Tamadot, just south of the town of Asni, Morocco, is a path that leads uphill into Toubkal National Park, which was created by the Moroccan government in 1942.  We had hired an expert on trekking in the High Atlas Mountains (from Imlil, a Berber village home to many mountain muleteers, cooks and guides) to be our guide for a “two hour hike” that ended up being a 4.5 hour hike up to a fantastic panoramic viewpoint plus a 45-minute visit to a nearby Berber village. The highest point in the park, visible from both our resort, Kasbah Tamadot, and the upper parts of the trail we hiked, is snow capped Jebel Toubkal (4,167 meters/13,671 feet),

 

The setting of Sir Richard Branson’s resort, Kasbah Tamadot, as seen (in the foreground) from uphill in Toubkal National Park, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

A close-up view of Sir Richard Branson’s resort, Kasbah Tamadot, as seen from uphill in Toubkal National Park, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

The trails in Toubkal National Park are very well maintained, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

The highest peak in Toubkal National Park is snowcapped Jebel Toubkal (4,167 meters/13,671 feet) – [upper center, left] — High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

A panorama of our 180 degree view from a spectacular viewpoint at about 5,500 foot (1,676 meters) elevation in Toubkal National Park, that we reached after about 10 minutes of cross-country hiking uphill from the main trail; Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Toward the north, the mountain range turned into iron-rich clay soil covered lower hills, Toubkal National Park, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

From the viewpoint, we climbed down the mountains to the closest Berber village (technically, a district of Asni) – in the foreground of the photograph — High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2018 by Richard C. Edwards.  All Rights Reserved Worldwide.  Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.

 

Kasbah Tamadot, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The front façade and entrance of Kasbah Tamadot, a “magical place perfect for rest and relaxation” located south of Asni in the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Our destination in the High Atlas Mountains, south of Asni, Morocco, was Kasbah Tamadot – regarded as the leading resort in the mountains.  [The High Atlas Mountains are North Africa’s highest mountain range, known by local Berbers as “Idraren Draren” (Mountains of Mountains); they rise in the west at the Atlantic Ocean and stretch in an easterly direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border.]  The resort has a spectacular location, with views from the property of nearby Berber villages (districts of Asni) and the High Atlas Mountains (still snow-covered in the spring). The property was bought by Britain’s Sir Richard Branson during one of his famous ballooning expeditions and initially was his private Moroccan home.  Convinced by his mother to convert (and expand) the property into a resort, Branson had the resort’s 28 rooms (including 8 Berber tent junior suites, such as the one we stayed in) individually decorated to reflect the beautiful architecture of the main kasbah building, with antiques from all over the world.  Here is Sir Richard Branson’s welcoming message to guests: “Welcome to Kasbah Tamadot!  This magical place is perfect for rest and relaxation.  Enjoy the fresh mountain air as you wander around our beautiful gardens, or go on a trek through the High Atlas Mountains…”

 

The sign by the front entrance, Kasbah Tamadot, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

The architecture of Kasbah Tamadot reflects traditional Moroccan and Moorish (Andalusian) designs; Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

The resort has an excellent restaurant, Kanoun, that serves both Moroccan and Continental cuisine prepared by chef Benoit Pépin and his team.  One night we had a Moroccan tasting menu that was delicious, accompanied by Moroccan wines from the Meknes area in northern Morocco that were all tasty and well crafted.  We were very glad for the introduction, and continued to drink and enjoy Moroccan wines for the duration of our stay in the country.  The staff of the hotel is 95% Berbers from the local villages of Asni.  The employees were given free English lessons and extensive training, with the resort continuing to support the local communities, including the support of several local craft workshops for some of the villagers not employed at the resort.

 

An interior courtyard at Kasbah Tamadot, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

A view of the upper level of Kasbah Tamadot near Asni, set in the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

This interior courtyard with a beautiful pool at Kasbah Tamadot is used for some special meals and parties, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

The setting for the resort’s swimming pool is pretty spectacular, Kasbah Tamadot, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our two-night stay at the resort, taking advantage of the facilities including a hammam for a steam bath and a couples treatment — after a five-hour hike up (and down) the nearby national park mountain for amazing vistas and then a visit to one Asni village for a home visit including a traditional Berber breakfast for our lunch [see our upcoming blog posts].  We were not familiar with a hammam before our visit to Morocco, but thoroughly enjoyed the steam room and traditional scrub by one of the spa staff.  “The hammam, also known as the Turkish hamam or Turkish bath, is the Middle Eastern variant of a steam bath, which can be categorized as a wet relative of the sauna.” – http://www.spafinder.com

 

A close up of the snow-covered High Atlas Mounts south of Kasbah Tamadot, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

The front façade of our Berber tent junior suite at Kasbah Tamadot, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Our bedroom in the Berber tent at Kasbah Tamadot, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Tea service on the verandah at Kasbah Tamadot overlooking one of the Berber villages of Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

One of the exterior lamps on the verandah of our Berber tent at Kasbah Tamadot, Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2018 by Richard C. Edwards.  All Rights Reserved Worldwide.  Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.

 

Shop Local: Weekly Berber Market in Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

This fruit and vegetable vendor was disappointed that we weren’t in the market for any of his goods, as we were on our way to a resort and not procuring food and goods for a multi-night hiking/camping trip in the mountains – a very popular tourist activity; weekly Berber market in Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Our first port of call in Morocco (after the Canary Islands) was the central coast city of Agadir.  We had made plans months in advance to be met after the ship docked by a car and driver to take us inland, via Marrakech, to the spectacular High Atlas Mountains, the home — for 9,000 years — of the indigenous Berber tribes (whose descendants still make up roughly 2/3 of the population of Morocco).  Our destination was a resort just south of the main town of Asni (population 6,000).  [See our upcoming blog posts.]  On the way we had an introduction to Berber culture with a stop at the weekly Saturday market in Asni.  (The market vendors move from city to city in the region throughout the week, on a fixed schedule – similar to the local markets in France.)

 

Spices and herbs vendor #1, weekly Berber market in Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Residents from the local community as well as those living miles away come into town on market day for shopping, socializing and gossiping.  The vendors travel by donkey (some with carts), small cars and trucks as they make the weekly circuit in the mountains.  Like typical farmers’ markets, there is a huge variety of goods for sale – herbs, spices, fresh fruit and vegetables, shoes, men and women’s clothing, chickens (live and dead), household items, etc. – plus some local specialties such as goat heads and sheep heads (for making soup) and items needed by the farmers such as used/recycled iron tools.  The most interesting part of the market was the “parking lot” (see photos, below).  We were the only Western tourists walking through the fairly large, open-air market in the late afternoon and found the locals and vendors to be quite friendly, with some speaking some English (our guide did a great job of helping us navigate through the market).

 

 

Spices and herbs vendor #2, weekly Berber market in Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Sweet Moroccan oranges by the bushel, weekly Berber market in Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

The mule parking lot – many of the vendors bring their goods by mule to the market (in a rotating city each day of the week), weekly Berber market in Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

A mule getting a new “shoe” in the mule parking lot, weekly Berber market in Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Spices and herbs vendor #3, weekly Berber market in Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Fresh spring Moroccan strawberries, weekly Berber market in Asni, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Across the road from the weekly Berber market in Asni are a number of permanent small shops, mostly selling the same staples (fresh bread rounds, bottled water, soft drinks, sun tan lotion, canned food, etc.); High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

 

Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2018 by Richard C. Edwards.  All Rights Reserved Worldwide.  Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.