Olives

On one of our last days in Casablanca, we walked through a local market. Of course, it boasted things like horse meat, vegetables, spices, and couscous, but one corner of it was given over to all things olives!

Throughout our time in Morocco, we had the opportunity to sample many different types (and colors) of olives. We learned, while visiting a farmer and his family, that there are three colors of olives – green, red, and black. They all grow on the same tree, and the difference is simply in how ripe the olives are. The least ripe are green, followed by red, and the ripest are black. (Of course, there are man different varieties of olives.)

But what happens to the olives after they are picked makes a great deal of difference! The olives in the nearest crock in this picture seem to have been dusted with different herbs, and perhaps bits of orange or lemon peels:

The olives in this picture seem to come in many colors of the rainbow. In the back, you can make out preserved lemons as well, and there also seem to be some grains in the very front.

And finally, just so that things don’t get too monotonous, the market also includes preserved chilis and capers.

Wish I could have captured the wonderful aromas!

Mary

Posted from London, England on the way home 10/11/19