Old Town Marrakech is dominated by the Souk, a bizarre bazaar full of small shops essentially selling the same thing. Each little shop is full of artisanal crafts. Made by Vietnamese artisans. In Vietnamese sweatshops. And they also sell lots of something called black soap and spices. You have to be wary of buying fake spices, particularly Saffron.
You get sideways spices because I don’t know how to change it on my phone.
Back to saffron. Apparently the only way to know real from fake is to trust the friendly vendor who assured us his saffron is real but every other stall in the souk is fake. We heard that from four different guys so it must be true.
Everyone should have to go to the Souk. Apparently it’s life changing to travel half way around the world for a third world flea market.
Classic posts. Finishing strong in 2019!
The much maligned Souk is a cornucopia of miracle drugs. Lavender extract that can kill men’s libidos – always important when the hubby gets too frisky! Some kind of brown goop – the “black soap!” – that you put on your chest to cure a cold. And acne. And indigestion. Everyone sells it! Let’s face it – a cold layer of brown goop just makes your day better. Don’t get me started on Cumin!! All due respect to local customs and we’re guests here – I like my cures in pill form and FDA scrubbed and polished.
And a bottle of wine helps!