Wednesday April 30th 2025, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
In this new seven part series, Rory O’Connell visits Morocco, one of his favourite countries. This is the first cookery series for RTÉ that has been filmed in Africa.
“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,” he says.
“To be able to revisit favourite places and discover new ones, and to share those experiences has long been a dream of mine.”
Rory travels from Tangier on the north coast to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast, visiting Chefchaouen, Fez, Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains along the way.
At the end of each programme Rory cooks a dish that has been inspired by his travels, capturing a flavour of Morocco, back home in East Cork.
Episode Three: Fez
Rory continues his journey south through Morocco to Fez, stopping off at the little town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun where Moulay Idriss I, founder of the first Moroccan dynasty at the end of the 8th century C.E., is buried in an enormous mausoleum.
The medina (the old part of the town), is pedestrianised and everything is carried by donkeys. Rory meets New Zealander Rose Button who owns Dar Zerhoune guesthouse, and runs a charity looking after the welfare of the donkeys.
Arriving in Fez, Rory enters the old city through the famous Blue Gate. In 1170, it was the world’s largest city and the medina is still the largest pedestrianised zone in the world. In the souk, Rory achieves his ambition to learn how to make Warka, the onion skin thin pastry used widely in Morocco, and he watches an expert chef make lamb tagine at Café Clock.
On the rooftop of the Palais Faraj Hotel Rory discusses the importance of salads in Moroccan cuisine with chef Mohamed Achoual before heading back into the medina to the famous Chouara Tanneries, where animal hides are prepared in the traditional way. As Rory says, the smell has to be experienced to be believed.
Back home in Ballycotton, and inspired by the Warka pastry in the souk, Rory uses filo pastry to make an almond paste filled Moroccan ‘Snake’.
(18)How to Cook Well in Morocco presenter Rory O’Connell with Chef Mohamed Achoual, Palais Faraj. (New,episode 3)_
How to Cook Well in Morocco is produced and directed by David Hare for InProduction TV and sponsored by Kerrygold
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