Moroccan Honey Toast is quite possibly the simplest recipe that you’ve never tried. Walking the streets of the medina, this sweet smell drifted out of open kitchen windows. I wondered what could that be? Answer = Moroccan honey toast.
I smelled the Moroccan Honey Toast while visiting Chefchaouen – a blue city in the mountains. It was the first small city we visited and it was my favorite stop out of the eight cities we visited.
It had quaint and windy cobblestone streets. And cats of course.
The blue was calming. It serves as a reminder of the heavens – of God.
It was in Chefchaoeun that we really noticed a lot of the men and women wearing the traditional djellabah – the long sheep’s wool overcoat shown above. This is not a religious garment – it’s a cultural garment. Handwoven on a traditional loom, they are available for purchase throughout town and a lot of tourists were wearing them too! It helps you fit right in and keeps you nice and warm!
We walked to the top edge of the town one morning and sat on some rocks just people watching. I love this one of a woman checking her phone.
It was on this hike that we noticed the sweet smell of Moroccan Honey Toast coming from the homes. We also saw a goat herder and a woman painting the exterior of her home – using blue paint of course. Every few months the town walls get another wash of blue to keep it looking fresh.
Colorful paints sold in town. Here’s a little video of blue painting in action.
Henna was also part of our visit in Chefchaoeun. It’s important to find a henna artist that uses natural henna and not the black chemical filled version. It was amazing to see how fast and beautifully she created henna designs on everyone.
We stayed at Riad Casa Hassan. If you’ve never seen a Moroccan riad, well, they are ornately beautiful. From the central courtyard to each individual room. And they have yummy breakfast!
For eating, I’d recommend two places:
- Beldi Bab Ssour – an organic, locally sourced restaurant with a fantastic chef who returned to his home town after years of living abroad in Japan. Returning without any savings, he built his restaurant by first becoming a hiking/biking tour guide, then giving back to his community by teaching others the skills needed to become a guide. He worked to gain the trust of the community and began his restaurant. They have a yogurt dessert that’s amazing.
- Cafe Restaurant Sofia – tucked back behind the main square. Cafe Sofia has great home cooked food with outdoor seating and if you’re lucky you’ll find a few kittens roaming about to entertain you.
Ok, last blue door. I promise. There are a lot more though! Onto the recipe!
Moroccan Honey Toast is basically caramelized sugar and butter on toast. Our guide told us it is a pretty common breakfast inside home kitchens. No toaster involved!
4 Easy Steps for Moroccan Honey Toast
- Butter your bread.
- Heat a skillet on medium high and sear the bread until the edges are nice and crisp.
- Add a smear of honey. (I used raw honey since it’s a little thicker)
- Place the honeyed bread face down in the pan and let the sugars caramelize until you start to smell that toasty caramelized sugar smell. Enjoy!
wow love your photo’s, the blues are amazing! Honey toast sounds so good too, will need to try it this week!
What a lovely experience in Morocco! Such a rich country!
Even though I don’t eat honey, my tummy is rumbling just looking at your pics! Did you have any amlou while you were there? It’s lovely!
Where else did you visit in Morocco? I used to live in Taroudant, which is so traditional, we had a sheep living on our roof just before Eid al adha. 🙁
Tradition dictates that once the sheep has been slaughtered, it’s shared among friends, family, and neighbours, so my friend, Asma, who lived in the apartment below us, knowing that we don’t eat meat, baked us THE best biscuits and pastries ever! Since it didn’t even occur to us, as foreigners, that we’d be included in the celebrations, it was a huge – and very pleasant – surprise when she called ’round with a plate full of goodies and a large bowl of fresh fruit!
I love your pics of Chefchaouen – I’ve never been there myself but I totally get the blue! The light in Morocco makes it so special. In Essaouira, there’s a lot of blue and yellow – sky, sea, and sunshine colours, so perfect!
Oh, and you’re right about riads… but they can be soooo cold in the winter! I used to go up on the roof because it was so much warmer than being indoors! Only to be expected though, since they are designed to stay cool. But flimmin’ ‘eck, it’s no wonder Moroccans often wear their coats indoors during the winter!
Hi Nico,
Yes, I did enjoy amlou! I can home with two jars. We visited an argan oil women’s coop outside of Essaouira and saw how the argan butter and oil was produced. The riads were cold and I don’t think I took my jacket off the entire 21 days we were in Morocco! We visited 8 cities, so I have more photos coming!