Andalucia and Spanish Food Porn

Hello readers. I was just going through some pictures from a trip I took in December to the Southern Spanish community of Andalucia. With cities like Sevilla, Granada, and Cadiz, there's no question that Andalucia is one of Spain's cultural epicenters - it's the birthplace of Flamenco and tapas, need I say more?  Enjoy some photos from my time in Granada and Cadiz! :)

Good mood town. It took me about 2 hours to find my hostel trekking the windy, narrow and hilly streets of the Albayzín, Granada's old Arabic neighborhood. I couldn't help but keep upbeat because this place was simply beautiful. I highly recommend the Rambutan Guesthouse to an weary travelers that make their way to Granada.

It wasn't Sevilla but the Flamenco was just as good.  To anyone that has never seen live Flamenco music, it is an experience unlike any other. You cannot help but to be entranced by the crooning voice, passionate rhythms and dramatic dance moves. Granada

Incredible view from my hostel of the Alhambra lit up at night. Certainly Granada's most well-known site, the Alhambra is a 14th century Moorish palace, fortress and gardens. Granada

I was caught off-guard by this seemingly plain cold potato salad. It was actually packed with vinegary, lemony and aromatic flavors similar to some French-style potato salads I've had in the past. So friggin' tasty, it was gone in a wink ;) Cadiz

How many times have you eaten forgettable fried calamari? These fried squids, I assure you were anything but forgettable. Firstly, I'm certain they were locally caught and super fresh; Cadiz has a strong local fishing industry. Secondly, they were fried to perfection and smothered in a lemon, garlic and parsley sauce. Win. Cadiz

La pièce de résistance. I present the jamón ibérico de bellota - the pata negra, the real shit. This ham is the most delicious cured meat in Spain, and a serious source of national pride, no joke. The ham comes from free-range pigs that wander the forest all day and only eat acorns. The result is incredibly flavorful meat and succulent fat. Granada

Admire it. It's beautiful. It's coming for you...

Morocco for Foodies

**Please note: Best read whilst hungry**

A Little Background

Morocco was always in the back of my mind as an ideal place to travel from Spain. So naturally I was really excited when we booked our tickets...and then Tunisia went nuts...followed by Egypt. Things were definitely looking sketchy the week before our trip.  After researching the situation we decided to bite the proverbial bullet and get on the plane.  What ensued were seven peaceful (and gluttonous?) days in Morocco. From Marrakesh to the Desert to Essaouira to Fez, here is what remains of the culinary tour de force we completed (on a budget too!)

The Main Course

In Morocco, they don't drink water. They drink tea.  Always refreshing no matter how hot, Moroccan tea is made from black or green teas leaves, fresh mint and a cavity-inducing amount of sugar. Super tasty though. Marrakesh

Equally refreshing was the fresh-squeezed orange juice for 4 Dirham (about 40 cents €) Marrakesh

Sunset at Place Al Jemma. This photo is misleading as it makes the plaza looks calm...au contraire, this spot was crazy and filled with snake charmers (really), story tellers and local bands. Actually reminded me of Coachella. Marrakesh

We spent most of the first day wandering the maze-like 'souks,' the bazaar market. After a couple hours walking, my throat felt like it was charred by the smog in the Medina. We found these snack stands inside the Place Al Jemma which served up a delicious, and super-spicy, tea loaded with ginger, cardamom and other spices. The meatloaf-looking thing is a paste made of ground sesame -- similar to halvah -- but with a texture a little more like dirt. All in all and enjoyable snack, especially while watching the tea vendors try to squeeze every single passerby into their stand. Marrakesh

Night falls on the Place Al Jemma and a mobile restaurant colony emerges. This mass of bright lights is about 50 small, outdoor restaurants serving the basics of Moroccan food. Marrakesh

This bad-ass is selling lentils at 6 Dirham a pop (about 60 cents €). Marrakesh

The lentils and 'haricots' were delicious. The red sauce was brought out at almost every restaurant when we were brought bread. It's spicy with chiles, but gets a unique taste from pickled lemons. Score for one euro a piece. Marrakesh

Dinner #2: We post up at a crowded grill stand, heeding our hostel manager's advice, "Always eat at the most crowded place." Marrakesh

Beef skewers, vegetable and chicken tagine, and bread with fresh tomato sauce. Fire. Marrakesh

Day 2 was spent mostly on the road. We drove from Marrakesh over the Atlas mountains and deep into the desert. After several hours driving through Morocco's date-farming region (aka: shit loads of palm trees in the desert and beautiful) we stopped in Zagora, where we rode camels to a waiting tent in the sandy ocean.  This pic is of Abdul, our hilarious driver, entertaining us with some original Berber songs after dinner. Zagora

Sunrise in the desert! Breakfast of bread, really good butter, marmalade, coffee and Moroccan tea enjoyed with our Argentinian travel mates. Zagora

Dirty and awesome food market in Marrakesh

Buying dates there.

I love Coke labels in foreign alphabets. Arabic is pretty legit. Marrakesh

Lizzy enjoys a beer at 'Bar.' This place is an composed of a few plastic chairs and a half-wall facing the beach.  They only serve one type of beer and you can't help but feeling like you are at a beach side speakeasy. Basically a symbol for the chillness factor of Essaouira.

Who would have thought the best meal of the trip would begin in this open-air fish market. With hundreds of day-boat fishermen in Essaouira, this fish is about as fresh as it comes (and what variety!) Essaouira

This dude wrangled us into one of the restaurants in the fish market and then he took us back into the market to buy our fish. We ended up with these two fish he's holding and a crab for 80 Dirham (about 8 euros). Essaouira

On top of the fish cost -- paid directly to the fishmonger -- we paid 25 Dirham per person at the restaurant to make a meal out of what we bought. They cleaned the fish, seasoned it and then broiled it.

It was an amazing meal! Super fresh fish, tomato salad, amazing spiced olives, spicy sauce and lime. All for about 130 Dirham, or 7 euros per person, the most expensive meal we ate in Morocco.

It was a thoroughly delicious trip. Believe it or not we did more than just eat, but that'll have to wait for another post. Until next time! :)