In Morocco, a Khubz in Every Communal Oven

Travel Blog  •  Terry Ward  •  06.18.07 | 2:15 PM ET

imageIn every neighborhood in Morocco, from Tangier to Agadir, five places are open to the public: a mosque, a school (madrasa), a public fountain, a hammam (public bath) and a communal oven. In Fes, where I studied Arabic in 2003, my host family was fairly well off, so we had our own oven in the garden—a gas-fired number that we had to shoo the pigeons from when we baked.

One of my favorite memories from life in the medina was watching the kids file through the narrow streets on mothers’ orders—delivering trays balanced atop their heads, piled with raw dough, to be baked into khubz—round, dense and fairly flat bread—in the communal ovens.

In a thoughtful and informative New York Times piece titled A Moroccan Oven That’s Open to All, Joan Nathan explores the tradition:

She writes:

Communal ovens have been a part of Mediterranean life for thousands of years. People in the shtetls of Eastern Europe, in French country towns and in Middle Eastern medinas baked their bread in them, and later, when the ovens were cooler, cooked casseroles and other dishes.

If you find yourself in Morocco, just follow the scent of baking bread or burning wood and you’ll likely see this age old tradition in practice. If you ask, Arabic hospitality may lead them to offer you a sample. But sometimes these communal ovens double as bakeries, selling pastries and other items, so you can buy some for yourself.

Related on World Hum:
* How To: Visit a Moroccan Hammam
* Terror and Travel in Morocco
* Western-Style Supermarkets Threaten Traditional Indian Vendors
* The Hot New Trend in Japanese Cuisine: 500-Year-Old Kaiseki

Related on TravelChannel.com:
* Video: Bizzare Foods: Morocco
* Video: Bizzare Foods: Morocco: Interview with Andrew Zimmern

Photo by Terry Ward.

Tags: Food, Africa, Morocco, News and Briefs

Terry Ward

Terry Ward is a Florida-based writer and a long-time contributor to World Hum.


1 Comment for In Morocco, a Khubz in Every Communal Oven

Climent 05.12.08 | 9:17 AM ET

I never had been to any arabic countries. I wanted to experience the scent of communal ovens if i get a chance to visit.
http://www.indiaovenlasvegas.com

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