African food is exotic in Ireland so top chef Rory O’Connell went all the way to Morocco to bring it home to Irish kitchens for his new TV show. Rory’s latest RTE series How to Cook Well in Morocco takes him through an iconic list of towns in the African continent’s famous northwestern country.
He crosses from Spanish surfer hotspot Tarifa into Tangier before embarking on a dream trip through destinations like Essaouira, which was once popular with legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix, and also Fez and Marrakesh.
Places like Essaouira, Marrakesh, and Agadir are becoming popular holiday destinations for Irish tourists and it is easy to see throughout the seven-part series why Morocco is one of Rory’s favourite countries in the world.
Cultural cuisine delights like fish tagine, harira soup, flatbreads, mint tea, and famous Moroccan street food are on screen with Rory in the former French colony.
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Ahead of the show’s launch on RTE One this evening at 8.30pm, Rory told the Irish Mirror: “Morrocco is like being in a kind of a story. I really wanted to film there. Since first visiting Marrakech in 1988, I have visited Morocco many times and have been entranced by the place, the people, the food, the sights and sounds, the exotic atmosphere, and the new discoveries.
“To be able to revisit favourite places and discover new ones, and to share those experiences has long been a dream of mine. I speak French badly in the programme and I hope people watching on television won’t be giving out about my grammar.
“I have a working grasp of French, enough to get me out of trouble in the kitchen. We took the ferry from Tarifa across to Africa. In a short period of time, you leave the familiar culture of Europe and an hour later arrive in an exotic African culture.
“The fish markets in Tangier are fantastic. You have the Atlantic Ocean one side and the Mediterranean on the other. They have incredible range of fish, including ones I’d never seen before. It was great to see people shopping for fresh produce for cooking at home.
“The harira soup and flatbread was delicious. It’s eaten all year round in Morocco. It’s very nourishing. It can be made with lamb or beef, plus lots of herbs and spices, and tomatoes.”
The award-winning chef added: “After Tangier, we were in Essaouira where I loved cooking with sardines. I could eat them like Smarties. All sort of exotic people have been to places like Essaouira and Marrakesh. It’s become quite glamorous and Irish people use them as winter sun destinations.
“There is a very good, strong connection between Ireland and Morocco, I think. The hospitality of the people is lovely and I love the mint tea. Some areas I visited in the programme were a revelation.”
At the end of each episode, Rory cooks a dish that has been inspired by his travels, capturing a flavour of Morocco, back home in Cork. A spokesperson for the show said: “In episode one, Rory leaves Spain and takes the short ferry trip across the Strait of Gibraltar.
“The city of Tangier is an exciting cultural melting pot and trading hub with a slightly rakish vibe, which has been popular with writers and actors for more than a century.
“Leaving the ferry, Rory visits the fish market before cooking a fish tagine at Blue Door Cuisine, a cookery school with an all-female team which aims to promote cultural exchange through food.
“At Donabo Gardens, Rory has a traditional lunch of harira soup and flatbreads, cooked in a clay oven. Finally, Rory samples some of the street food for which Tangier is famous before heading to the storied Gran Café de Paris where writers such as Tennessee Williams and Samuel Beckett enjoyed watching the world go by.
“Back home in Ballycotton, Rory cooks sardines Tangier-style, marinaded in Chermoula, which is a herb and spice relish.”
Rory, from Cullahill in Co Laois, co-founded the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork with his sister Darina Allen over 40 years ago.
His new show How to Cook Well in Morocco, which follows his successful How to Cook Well at Christmas, airs on RTE One from 8.30pm on Wednesday night.
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