Gluten Free Morocco

A Quick Trip to Tangier and Tips for Traveling Gluten Free

Hello friends,

I needed a little break from the chilly weather today! Before I share this sunny escapade -

Today is the last day of our Black Friday 20% off membership sale!! I know $ can be a barrier so I knocked the price down a bit, I hope it helps!

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This summer we took a weekend trip to Morocco. I wrote previously about our larger trip to Southern Spain and Madrid and our gluten free finds there. But we also took a ferry across the strait of Gibraltar to Tangier Morocco.

This I knew wouldn’t be as easy to manage gluten free as Spain. Second only to Italy in ease of eating gluten free in places we’ve traveled so far, Spain is EASY to be gluten free. But what of Tangier Morocco?

I prepared by getting a translation card in Arabic - with ingredients and concerns specifically for Morocco. This proved to be CRUCIAL. We handed the card to every restaurant we visited, it really helped us communicate. People weren’t as familiar with what food items actually contained gluten so this detailed card was key.

I also did research ahead of time and had several restaurants and a gluten free centric grocery store as options for us. There were not many places listed in online sources so I wasn’t sure what we’d find when we got there.

Because the options were limited we brought a backpack of gluten free bread, crackers, cereal and sandwiches from Spain. I figured it was worth hauling them and the worst/best case scenario would mean we carried them around for nothing.

We stayed in a lovely Riad (guesthouse) in the old part of Tangier called Le Maison Blanche. (Apparently so did 007 when filming in Tangier!!)

The owner Aziz was very accommodating and when we called ahead to ask if he could prepare gluten free breakfast for us he said of course.

When we arrived we confirmed the gluten free breakfast plan, and asked him for a recommendation for a gluten free lunch, as we were starving.

He knew just the place and sent us to Macondo - a restaurant owned by an Italian woman who is very familiar with gluten free. She serves both Italian pasta and Moroccan dishes like the AMAZING lemon chicken tagine that I ate. Many items are available gluten free and she even sells some imported gluten free Italian packaged pastas and other foods. They were very familiar with celiac protocols and the food was delicious. We dined on a sun-soaked rooftop and could see the entire city.

We walked off lunch wandering through the medina, getting quite lost as we knew we would and marveling at the open-air markets including the food markets.

Every type of fruit and vegetable you could imagine seemed to be at its absolute peak! The fish market was also amazing to see as Tangier is right where the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet. If you had a kitchen in your accommodations in Tangier you would eat like a king.

Even without one, the picnicking is primo.

That evening Aziz called our restaurant Hamadi ahead and read the translation card to the chef in Arabic and confirmed that they could accommodate our needs. When we arrived they were waiting for us with a list of dishes including tagines and kabobs that could be made gluten free and they used separate equipment to prepare them. We enjoyed a lovely evening with live Moroccan music, low lights, and beautifully spiced dishes.

The next morning, our breakfast was served on the rooftop of the riad with a view of the city and the sea. Most of the traditional dishes were wheat bread based, but the owner made sure to prepare a tagine of eggs, yogurt, and fruit for the gluten free option. We supplemented with a baguette from our backpack of Spanish gluten free provisions.

This day was a whirlwind tour of the city and the coast, even a camel ride along the beach.

If I am organized enough to send Christmas cards this will be the picture (I’ve only sent them once in the last 10 years so… if I were a betting person.)

We planned to eat at the famed Gran Cafe Central after our tour, (we had called ahead about our needs) but we were having so much fun wandering around Tangier buying carpets and argon oil and whatnot that we left ourselves VERY little time before our return ferry.

When we got to the restaurant it was BUSY. Crowds and confusion type of busy.

We decided to take our food to eat on the ferry. I confirmed with the staff several times what we needed for our order. They could do kabobs and potatoes gluten free on separate equipment. But, after a long wait when we opened our boxes, they were filled with not only kabobs and potatoes, but also a rice dish, vegetables, some meatballs, and several other items.

Some wires must have been crossed in the kitchen.

We decided not to risk it, as being sick on a crowded ferry sounds like a special sort of hell.

The sandwiches from Spain along with chips and packaged gluten free muffins from the ferry concessions were a perfect lunch. No regrets!!

So, all in all Tangier wasn’t the easiest city for gluten free but it wasn’t the hardest we’ve encountered either. Having a friendly local like our guesthouse owner and a really well done card in Arabic explaining celiac needs in detail made all the difference!!

Happy traveling,

Rachel