Street Food

One of my favorite things about Tangier is the food you can buy on the street for less than a euro. It is fresh, delicious, and healthy (most of the time).

Near the main center of the city, there is a little stand selling donuts. As soon at they come out of the hot oil, the man working there slices them open and drops in a scoop of honey. Not my most favorite thing - they mostly taste fried - but they seem to be quite popular.

What I really love are the giant round pans of something I don't yet know the name of. It is made with chickpea flour and eggs, and has the texture of a soft, delicate quiche, with a flavor much like an omelet.

For one dirham - about thirteen cents - you can get a small slice on a little square of brown paper. It's served hot or cold, with a shake of salt and pepper.

My other favorite streetfood also involves chickpeas. At around six in the evening, a man appears with two huge pots of piping hot legumes - one of large brown beans and one of chickpeas. You just tell him how many dirhams worth you want - one, two, three - and in seconds he folds a piece of paper into a little cone. He spoons in some chickpeas and adds a sprinkle of salt and spices, tossing them together with a practiced flick of his wrist. I eat them with a toothpick while walking back through the medina to my house.

A few feet away, you can buy fresh cactus fruits!

The vendor will slice them open for you, removing the sharp spines, and hand it to you with a toothpick, ready for eating. They are mild and slightly sweet, kind of like a cross between a watermelon and a cucumber.

On some nights there is a dessert vendor too - he wheels a cart with huge trays of honey-soaked, argan oil-scented pastries. I tried this one - I'm not sure exactly what was in it, but it was a rich, sweet paste that reminded me of peanut butter. Before he handed it to be, he drizzled it with argan oil, which is extracted from the native argan tree and used for many culinary and cosmetic purposes.

Not exactly street food, but there is a tiny shop near our house that makes bread and fresh soups. We stop to pick up dinner on the way home sometimes, and it's always delicious. Often, we can buy bread fresh off the griddle!

And of course, the fresh orange juice! Less than a dollar for a glass, and it's amazing.