Moroccan table
Original traditiontagineFès-Meknès

Fes Snake-shaped Chicken

A festive dish where chicken is cooked with almonds, cinnamon, and saffron, then shaped into a serpent and decorated with eggs and almonds.

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Moroccan table
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In the golden age of Fes, when the city was a beacon of learning and culture, the sultan's chefs created Mhanncha to celebrate the Prophet's birthday. They shaped the chicken into a serpent to symbolize eternity, with almonds representing wisdom and saffron the divine light. As the dish emerged from the tadjine, its aroma filled the palace, drawing nobles from across the empire. The serpent form, with its head raised toward heaven, was said to bring blessings to all who partook. Today, Mhanncha Fessia remains a centerpiece of celebrations, embodying Fes's intellectual heritage and its people's devotion to beauty and tradition.

Fes Snake-shaped Chicken belongs to the Fès-Meknès table. Taste it where its imperial Moroccan heritage kitchen tradition lives, or fold it into an itinerary through the region.

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Recipe

Moroccan Seafood and Broccoli Salad

modified version of a jane brody recipe. you can substitute sliced surimi sticks for the shrimp or scallops but, if you do so, do not add until salad has been dressed and tossed or the surimi will shred. cooking (passive) time also includes chilling time.

broccoli florets, scallions, red bell peppers, currants, small shrimp…
Kitchen method
Recipe

Seafood Bastilla with Shrimp, Calamari and Fish

Swordfish, shrimp, and calamari are mixed with Chinese vermicelli, black mushrooms, and a spicy tomato sauce. The filling is enclosed in paper-thin warqa or phyllo dough and then baked.The measures below are for raw seafood prior to cleaning. Prep time does not include shelling or deveining shrimp or cleaning calamari. Save time by having your fishmonger do some of this for you.Seafood Bastilla can be assembled and frozen until baking time. Shape the bastilla into a single large pie as shown here or make small, individual-sized pies for easier serving.

For the Seafood:, 1 kilogram/2 pounds fresh medium shrimp (shelled, cleaned and tails removed), 1/2 kilogram/1 pound fresh calamari, cleaned and cut into 1/4" rings (tentacles chopped), 1/2 kilogram/1 pound fresh swordfish (or another firm, low-fat fish), 3 tablespoons butter (divided)…
Kitchen method