In addition to photos by my family and me, this post includes some pictures by Emily Nava.
I loved everything we did in Khamlia. It was a beautiful place, with such interesting and friendly people.
It’s a community where people from sub-Saharan Africa, who had been brought in slavery to Morocco, were ultimately given land after slavery was abolished (there’s more to unpack here). The culture has more ties to other parts of the continent than other places we visited. While most of our experiences in Morocco were very influenced by Spain and by Arab culture, Khamlia was a blend of Arab culture, Berber culture, and a mix of cultures from much farther south, like Kenya.
We spent a few hours one morning at a restaurant, where Chef Hassan taught us to make medfouna (Berber pizza), which is basically a giant calzone filled with meat, grated carrot, boiled egg, tomato, onion, garlic, and spices. We also made a traditional “cooked salad” of tomato, garlic, and eggplant, and a dessert of sliced oranges and apples sprinkled with cinnamon.
We went for a walk while the medfouna was baking, exploring an art gallery and the little town, and then came back to the restaurant to eat the lunch we had helped make. The food was delicious – the food was so good everywhere we went – and the restaurant was a beautiful space.
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