During the month of Ramadan, many Moroccan’s change their job to fit the alternate rhythm of life during this period. As the Muslim people fast during the day, the small shops and many of the non-tourist restaurants which sell food and drink to locals need to find a way to make money.

Abdil invited us into his shop to explain that, where he normally sold a selection of nuts and dried fruits, during Ramadan he switches to sell Chapakia, a sweet Moroccan patisserie. Chapakia costs around 30dh per kg and is especially popular during ramadan as it’s sugary sweetness provides a much needed energy boost after 17 hours of fasting. He continued to tell us that some locals make Chapakia at home, but the majority of people like to buy the sweet patisserie from specialist shops as he and many other like him have perfected the skill of making such a delicacy. Other products that are especially popular during this Ramadan seasonal change are figs, if Ramadan occurs during the summer month, and dates, which are an important ingredient for the Moroccan soup, Harira. These seasonal changes are testament to the vibrancy and vitality of Marrakech and the uniquely fascinating tradition of Ramadan.

Tags: Chapakia, food, islam, Marrakech, Moroccan patisserie, Ramadan, religion

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2014 at 7:35 pm and is filed under Marrakech, Photo a day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.