Potato
Here are three potato dishes you’ll come across when you visit The Rif.
Makouda
Makouda are deep-fried, potato-sized chunks of mashed potato. Potatoes are, of course, the main ingredient and the only thing you can really taste apart from the spices.
I’ve eaten freshly made makouda. It’s quite a nice snack, especially when the weather is cold. I have also eaten cold makouda, or rather lukewarm, as I asked the staff to heat it up. I can do without that.
Baked potatoes
In Sweden, there are small potatoe, normal-sized potatoes and baking potatoes. In Morocco, there are potatoes so large that they make baking potatoes look like their children.
There are restaurants that specialise in oven-baking such giant potatoes. The dish is called baTaTis bil forn, meaning potato in the oven. The first time I ordered one of these giant potatoes, I wondered how I would manage to eat it. Once I’d finished the potato, I wished there was more.
The potatoes are soft and creamy. They are reminiscent of mashed potatoes. The cheaper version of baked potato is topped with tuna. Baked potato with chicken usually costs a little more. Generally speaking, I prefer grilled chicken to tuna, but I think tuna works better with baked potato.
Apart from tuna or chicken, the potatoes are usually topped with vegetables such as grated carrots, beetroot and sweetcorn. Mayonnaise is usually included. Ketchup too, so I make sure to ask for it to be left out.
French fries
In Moroccan restaurants, fries are a common side dish. If I order a plate of chicken, it comes with fries. If I buy a sandwich, it contains fries. Once I even got a tortilla with fries.
The tastiest potatoes
If I were to rank the potatoes I’ve eaten in the Rif Mountains, the list would look like this.
- Baked potatoes are the tastiest
- Next come potatoes in tagine, provided they aren’t too soft
- Makouda comes in third place, provided it’s freshly made