National Geographic Traveller (UK) - Food
ASK THE EXPERTS Vienna’s best coffee houses and vegetarian dining in Marrakech
OUR PANEL ANSWERS YOUR CULINARY QUESTIONS, INCLUDING HOW TO USE BARBERRIES AND WHICH COFFEE HOUSES TO VISIT IN VIENNA
I’m planning a trip to Marrakech. How easy is it to dine out as a vegetarian?
Christine Benlafquih: Although some of Morocco’s most celebrated dishes centre around meat, vegetarians will have no trouble eating out in Marrakech, with vegetables and legumes showing up in salads, soups, starters and mains such as tagine. Bread is a staple, so look out for khobz (a round, flat loaf that’s used instead of utensils), harcha (a pan-fried semolina flatbread), krachel (brioche-like sweet rolls), batbout (a flatbread) or msemen (square, laminated ‘crepes’).
Djemaa el Fna, the city’s main square, is great for street food in the evenings, with stalls serving salads, grilled veg and maakouda (potato cakes) stuffed into bread. If you’re tempted by harira soup (made with tomato, lentils and chickpeas), addis (stewed lentils) or loubia (stewed white beans), check they’re meat-free.
Restaurants catering to tourists are most likely to offer vegetarian tagines and couscous, but even small local places might have salads — either fresh or cooked, such as auberginebased zaalouk. For traditional food, head to Al Fassia, a family-owned restaurant staffed exclusively by women. Vegetarians will find a la carte selections, as well as a three-course menu featuring a main dish such as vegetable couscous with caramelised onions.
At Marrakech Henna Art Cafe, in the medina, you can browse the art and crafts, get a henna tattoo and enjoy lunch or early dinner. In addition to smoothies and salads, veggie dishes include a falafel sandwich. Another good option for meat-free dishes is Lebanese restaurant Naranj. For starters, why not try the cheese briouats and mezze, and for mains, the aubergine and bulgur plate.
Can you recommend ways to use barberries?
Saghar Setareh: Although barberries grow wild in most parts of the world, their culinary uses are littleknown outside of Iran. The bushes, which vary in size, sprout small, yellow or orange flowers in spring, and by summer grow fruit. Barberries (‘zereshk’, in Farsi) are small and ruby red, with a distinctive sharp, acidic flavour. In Iran, the unripe fruit is used in some old pickle recipes, while the ripe, fresh fruit is often used in jam, fruit rolls and juices.
However, because barberries are so delicate — and not available year-round — it’s the dried fruit that’s most used in Iranian cuisine. There are many recipes that feature barberries alongside poultry, the best-known being zereshk-polow, a pilaf often served with saffron chicken. A mixture of barberries with saffron rice is also often used as garnish on plain pilafs — the dried barberries are briefly cooked with a small amount of sugar and butter. They can also be used in kuku sabzi, a herb frittata with walnuts.
As for where to buy them, you’ll find them in specialist Middle Eastern and Iranian shops, as well as at Waitrose and online. Keep dried barberries in the freezer to preserve their bright colour.
Where can I find the best coffeehouses in Vienna?
Astrid Hofer: Coffeehouses are an integral part of social life in the Austrian capital — places to catch up with friends, read the paper or study. They’ve been around for over 300 years and became intellectual and creative hubs in the late 19th century, with Gustav Klimt and Sigmund Freud among their regulars. Today, there are roughly 1,000 of them around the city; in 2011, Viennese coffee house culture was added to UNESCO’S National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Classic orders include Sachertorte, a chocolate cake with apricot filling and chocolate icing, or a melange, the Viennese equivalent of a cappuccino.
Opened in 1876, Café Central (pictured) is one of the best-known coffeeshops. Located inside Palais Ferstel, it has a huge cake selection plus dishes such as the classic Viennese breakfast (rolls with jam and honey, coffee and a boiled egg) and schnitzel. Visit in the morning to avoid crowds. Equally popular is nearby Café Hawelka. The late founders, Leopold and Josefine Hawelka, worked there well into their 90s and Josefine was famous for her buchteln (yeast buns served with vanilla sauce). Luckily, she passed on the recipe to her children, who run the place today. Café Diglas, on Wollzeile, welcomed no less than Emperor Franz Joseph I as its very first guest back in 1923. Its speciality is scheiterhaufen, a bread pudding with chocolate and nuts.
Once you’ve ticked off the traditional cafes, try Vollpension. With its vintage furniture, floral porcelain and family portraits, it could easily pass for a grandparents’ living room. Many staff are retirees and bake their family recipes.