Casablanca: Private Local Market Tour and Traditional Cooking Class with Maria
5.0
18 Ratings
Casablanca
Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of Casablanca with a private market tour and cooking class led by Maria. Discover local produce and spices, learn traditional Moroccan recipes, and enjoy a delicious meal together.
Duration: 5 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 2 days learn more
Highlights

Growing up in a large Moroccan family requires you to help in the kitchen and that is how Maria learned to cook. She fondly remembers her grandmother teaching her family recipes and classics like lamb tagine with cardoons during summer vacation. Maria recently retired and now has more time to pursue her passion for cooking and meeting people from all over the world. She lives with her 9 year old son, his nanny and her sister. Maria has traveled a lot, experiencing different cuisines and cultures, which has made her more appreciative of her own heritage. She now wishes to share her culture and cuisine with travelers visiting her city!

After you are picked-up, Maria will help you navigate the market which can be overwhelming to explore on your own. Maria can also help you do a bit of shopping if you’re searching for a certain ingredient before driving you home. Maria lives in a modern, luxurious villa in a gated community in a suburb of Casablanca. She will welcome you with some Moroccan tea and, while you sip on your welcome drink, share more about life in Morocco, its history, culture and cuisine. Next join Maria in her kitchen to prepare her favorite family recipes in a hands-on cooking class. You’ll cook together for about an hour, and will learn to make two authentic Moroccan dishes such as chicken tagine and a chickpea and couscous salad, before enjoying the dishes you helped prepare. Your meal will also include other dishes prepared by Maria in advance such as harira (a traditional soup) and pastille (a type of Moroccan meat pie, filled with spiced meat and apricots) served with homemade bread. Your meal will conclude with a dessert such as oranges with cinnamon or cake.

What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • All taxes, fees and handling charges
  • Home-cooked meal
  • Non-alcoholic beverages
  • Local alcohol (1-2 glasses)
  • Private market tour and cooking class with your host Maria
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off
What's Not Included
  • Any purchases you’d like to make at the market to take back to your home
Additional Information

Experience a private and genuine market tour followed by a cooking session at a local home in Casablanca, hosted by Maria. Ideal for those seeking to engage with local culture through culinary expression, the event begins with a pickup from your Casablanca accommodation. You will be taken to a local market to explore Moroccan regional produce and aromatic spices. Post the market tour, Maria will accompany you to her sumptuous residence for a cooking class in her kitchen. Here, you can master the art of preparing 2-3 customary Moroccan dishes from Maria’s familial recipes. After the cooking session, savour the meal together. Being part of a big Moroccan family required Maria to lend a hand in kitchen tasks, which is how she honed her culinary skills. With fond memories of her grandmother imparting traditional recipes and classics like lamb tagine with cardoon during school holidays, Maria, now retired, dedicates her time to her love for cooking and to showcasing her culture and gastronomy to guests from around the globe.

  • Please include your hotel name and address when making your booking
  • Menu may vary depending on the season
  • If any travelers in your party have any allergies, dietary restrictions or cooking preferences please advise at time of booking
  • Vegetarian and vegan option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
  • Private, personalized experience
  • Notes: Maria can offer vegetarian and halal meals on request.
  • Free cancellation up to 48 hours prior to experience
Location
Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca
Boulevard De La Corniche, Anfa Place Living Resort
Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 3 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(18 Ratings)
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Kimberly_m
Dec 16, 2023
Highly recommend, without reservation! - Maria was an outstanding host! She assured our transportation, despite some hassles at the cruise terminal. She gave us an interesting car tour and narration of Casablanca’s highlights and history while driving us to the market. The busy market offered a colorful, fragrant, exotic and enlightening experience- free of other tourists. Maria offered great hospitality, inviting us into her beautiful home for our hands-on cooking class. First she welcomed us with a traditional mint tea and wonderful cookies. Then we prepared couscous with vegetables and beef, chicken tangine, and two tomato sauces. Once the cooking was done, we were seated at a lovely table full of all these dishes, plus fresh bread, olives, juice, wine, water. Sumptuous! We are so grateful that Maria offers this Moroccan experience. We recommend this excursion without reservation.
Review provided by Viator
Scrappy
Nov 28, 2023
Excellent experience - Maria picked us up on time Took us to a wonderful bakery Showed us the market Wish we could spend more time there but understand why Took many hours to prepare the dishes but well worth it Friendly and welcoming to her home Introduced us to her family It was a great experience Would do again
Review provided by Viator
Valerie_t
Nov 13, 2023
Informative and fun - It was a really nice experience- went to a market and saw where our guide shops. Unfortunately it was Friday so some of the booths were closed. Went to the hosts home and did a hands on cooking class - Tajine and couscous. I have a greater respect for the level of care and work put into the prep of these foods. Had a great experience seeing the beautiful Moroccan salon in the home.
Review provided by Viator
Jessalyn_g
Oct 17, 2023
Absolutely wonderful - Maria was a fantastic guide and chef! We felt very welcome in her home and made some of the most amazing food we have ever tasted. I highly recommend this experience- it’s worth it.
Review provided by Viator
Dave_h
Aug 21, 2023
Like time learning from family - This class with Maria and her family was like spending time with an aunty - they were so welcoming and no detail was overlooked. Her knowledge of Morocco, it’s culture and of course the food was second to none. We’ve learned a tonne of techniques to try in our own home, and can’t wait to make our own tagine and true couscous. I haven’t been in a class this intimate or this deep in detail, it was even better than we were expecting. The market tour was like being a local, and everything in the cooking of the meal was clear and hands-on instead of simply watching someone else. If we had a fridge in our hotel room we would’ve been able to take some of the huge feast home! It was my partners birthday and I mentioned it in the booking, and they went above and beyond. Couldn’t be more grateful to these beautiful people, they made it feel like a celebration with family while we’re on the other side of the world. Hopefully Minu and I can meet Maria and her family again sometime - you definitely should take the chance to.
Review provided by Viator
Q7613yvdaveg
Aug 20, 2023
Private cooking class morocco - Our tour guide Maria did an excellebt job us a market tour and cooking class in her lovely home. We prepared four dishes, everything was organized and ready for us to cook with. The foods were fresh and delicious. She had a nice table setting in her beautiful living room. While we ate we listened to moroccon music and we even danced. We highly recommend Marias private cooking class.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carlos_d
Aug 15, 2023
Amazing Experience - The cooking experience with Maria was absolutely amazing! I always thought Moroccan food was difficult to make but Maria made it look so easy. It was a lovely atmosphere and we got to meet her family in the class and work together to make a delicious lunch. Everyone was able to fully participate in the cooking experience. We even got to meet Maria’s dog - Oupssi If you are looking for an authentic Morrocan food making class with a relaxed and chill environment, book with Maria I promise you won't be disappointed.
Review provided by Viator
Sharon_f
Aug 3, 2023
A Real Moroccan Culinary Experience - This was the best excursion. Maria was nice, informative and patient. We began with a tour of Casablanca before heading to the market. We toured the market and tasted the various olives from one of the merchants. When we arrived at her home, she shared the traditional Moroccan culture and we began our cooking experience. The food was amazing and she answered any questions we had about the food and culture. I highly recommend this excursion. It’s an experience you’ll never forget. Her sister was awesome too.
Review provided by Viator
Storyteller81532
Jul 13, 2023
Experience you don’t want to miss! - We had an amazing evening, shopping and cooking with Maria! She took us to the local market where we bought all local produce as well as stopped at a Moroccan bakery to purchase Moroccan cookies. When we arrived at her lovely home, we were greeted by her sister! We had mint tea and cookies in her traditional Moroccan greeting room. There she taught us more of Moroccan culture and traditions. We then made dinner (couscous and tajin). While we were prepping and cooking, Maria and her sister, explained the tradition ways and why’s of the process. We had great conversations and we felt comfortable almost like family. We all sat down for our meal and continued our conversations as if we knew each other always. If you want to experience the warmth and culture of Morocco, we highly recommend booking with Maria! Don’t pass up the opportunity.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laura_p
Feb 6, 2023
Amazing! - Our evening with Maria was an absolutely incredible opportunity. The market experience, the door to door transportation, and most of all being a guest in her home - all fabulous! 100% sign up !!!
Review provided by Viator
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May 2024
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