“There was a moment, in Marrakech, Morocco, that reassured and amplified my philosophy of feasting…
One year ago, my sister and I went to work at the carpet shop she takes pictures for – measuring and documenting the thousands of carpets that are sold there. It was a long afternoon of holding up rugs while learning Darija (Moroccan Arabic dialect). We went in for lunch for a home cooked meal by Zoubida. We all settled into a small room lined with brightly colored, subdued and rich carpets on the floors, walls and rolled into stacks against the stairwells. A low round table was set out and my sister and I sat cross-legged on the floor with a bunch of Moroccan businessmen and merchants talking politics and agriculture, flowing in and out of Arabic to ask our opinions.
Zoubida set before us the biggest tagine I’ve ever seen that smelled so divine. Loaves of semolina bread were broken and passed around the cipher. We dunked our piece of bread into the stewed tomatoes and they let us choose first which part of the tagine we’d like. It was an instant connection and the most sincere hospitality I have ever felt. The act of eating from one source, sharing and literally breaking bread with one another made me enjoy the food even more.
The softest pieces of lamb were nestled in the center of the tagine surrounded by cous cous and vegetables. It was what I know as soup meat, lots of bone and sinew that cooked down so deliciously to flavor the rest of the meal. I realized meat doesn’t need to be the star of a dish, and naturally tough pieces of meat – what I grew up eating only in soup – could be so versatile. For dessert, Zoubida brought out the most vivid fresh apricots and cut watermelon in a bright blue bowl that we washed down with cucumber, mint orange juice. At the end, shoes off and bellies full, we took a nap lying on the carpets to escape the Moroccan sun.”
About Anya Peters
Chef Anya Peters is the creative mind and entrepreneur behind Kit an’ Kin, a New York-based Caribbean pop-up gathering friends and family over traditional + inspired Carribbean fare.
Kit an’ Kin is the diaspora in motion – unearthing knowledge and strengthening bonds over food, film, and storytelling. A blend of traditions + a commitment to local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible. Working as the Earth intended, as our ancestors ate.
Through these pop ups, Chef Anya becomes the student learning from her parents, uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents. Come feast with the Kit an’ Kin family and become a part of Anya’s journey in-person and over the interweb (at) @kitankin & @daughternatura on Instagram and kitankin.com.
#FEASTWITHTHEFAMILY
Cover & Bio Photo by Alana Yolande