As hard as it is to believe, even I the desert most Moroccan towns of any substance have a pastry shop. They are often hidden in amongst the chaos and grime, and are generally pretty shabby looking from the outside. Enter though and you are greeted by a cabinet filled with pain au chocolate, croissants and various other sweet treats.

I’ve been impressed at how the Moroccans can eke out a living in the most harsh environments, and the pastry shops are no different. There is little refrigeration, dairy products are extremely rare, and most people are too poor to afford much more than the basics. Add in the incredibly dry and harsh environment and it’s hard to see how these places survive. But survive the do, and despite everything the pastries aren’t too bad.

Here’s a selection:

It looks like poo, but it’s a cyclists dream substance. It’s like halva (a sesame based sweet), but with heaps of crushed almonds and flavoured with star anise. It delivers energy like nothing else I’ve eaten, and tastes good too.  And at 40 dirhams for a kilos worth it’s not bad value!

A pain au chocolate – yes they exist, but they’re often made with palm oil and the dry desert air means they don’t stay fresh long

Custard slice – good custard, but the pastry tastes like it’s made out of wheatbix.  I still ate two…

These little biscuits are everywhere. They come with sesame, chocolate, dates and jam. Delicious and possible nutritious!