Customer Rating: 
Summary: Learn about a people by learning about their food
Comment: This small book is truly a gem. I would not use it as a cookbook or a travel guide--there are other books that cover these bases well. However, this gives excellent cultural insight though one of our most intimate human experiences--the preparation and serving of food.
The author, a woman, is able to go inside a variety of Moroccan kitchens and see Moroccan women in a domain where they are truly in charge. She explains how a wife may use food to communicate feelings and to pass on family customs. She discusses how foods are used in specific Moslem observances. She gives details about the etiquite of eating in a Moroccan home and how to avoid social mis-steps.
There are no specific recommended restaraunts, but she discusses the specialties of different Moroccan regions and does recommend the open air seafood cafes of Essouria. There are some recommendations for vegetarians and an anecdote about how a vegatarian managed during a Moslem observance that involves eating lamb for a number of days. There is general information about food hygeine and water safety. For people who are watching their diet, there is some limited advice on how to manage in Morocco.
This book explains the various cooking pots and other implements used in various types of Moroccan kitchens. When we have visited other countries, such as Vietnam, we had to do a lot more reserch on our own to learn about the various cooking customs and implements used.
When I travel, I like to learn about the culture in advance. I also insist that my children do background reading too. Yes, the kids complain about the tons of mandatory reading and educational DVDs, but it enhances our experience. When children start asking informed questions, guides and residents open doors not available to most tourists. Interestingly enough, my children, aged 11 and 15 liked the book and read the whole thing. My husband and I also enjoyed it and read it from cover to cover.
If you are interested in visiting Morocco, you should suppliment this book with a more general travel guide such as the Lonely Planet Morocco or the Rough Guide to Morocco. If you want to do a lot of Moroccan cooking, you should get a Moroccan cookbook. However, if you want to understand the interaction of food and culture, this is the book for you.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: This Book Has a Few Problems, But I Still Recommend It
Comment: I have lived in Marrakesh, Morocco for the past ten years, and eagerly picked up this book as soon as I saw it. Both the text and pictures in the book are REALLY lovely. If you are planning to travel in Morocco, it is a wonderful introduction to Moroccan cuisine. However, don't try following the recipies given in this book, because some steps have been left out, and your result will not be correct. I found problems with several of the recipies. For example, the author tells you to make tagines (Moroccan stews) by putting meat or chicken in a pot with spices and water, and bringing ot a boil. While her lists of ingredients are correct, she has forgotten the all-important step of searing all sides of the meat in the pan BEFORE adding any water. If you don't do this, it will jsut taste like boiled meat. For correct and easy-to-follow recipies, adjusted to American kitchens, choose Paula Wolfert's book, "Good Food From Morocco."
The other small problem I found with this book is that some of the author's explanations for Moroccan behaviors are just plain not correct. For example, she states that most Moroccans never eat in restaurants because this would be an insult to the wife's or the mother's cooking. Having lived here for ten years, I can tell you the real reason is that most Moroccans just plain cannot afford even the cheapest restaurants. Upper-class and wealthy Moroccans DO eat in restaurants, nevertheless, often a couple of times a week.
Overall, however, I think the author has done an excellent job, and this would be a great book to either take with you on your trip to Morocco (it's pocket size), or to read in advance of your trip.
