© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Djamaa el Fna, Marrakesh, MOROCCO

The Haouz Plain that surrounds Marrakech provides the city with a rich variety of fruits and vegetables. Being a major orange producing region where naval oranges and clementines accounts for more than eight percent of the fruit grown in Morocco, it is no wonder that fruits that are less than perfect for the big European export markets ends up at the Djamaa el Fna, filling carts to the rim with its delightfully sweet and refreshening juice being freshly squeezed on demand.

Nonetheless, the mounds of oranges only makes its appearances at certain times of the year, depending on season.

Spring-apricots, cherries, kiwis, peaches, and strawberries

Summer- watermelon, wild artichokes, tomatoes

Winter-oranges, mandarins, carrots

Seasonal-almonds, walnuts, pumpkin, bananas, lemons

Being a predominantly Muslim nation where  cocktails or other intoxicating beverages are prohibited due to religious reasons, the Moroccans have as a result created a variety of some of the freshest natural fruit juices (sharbat) and shakes in addition to the famed mint tea and Arabic coffee. With oranges in abundance, a glass of freshly squeeze orange is about the only thing in Djamaa el Fnaa with fixed pricing and the best value for money available, even during Ramadhan where the vendors have no qualms exercising extreme price discrimination and other dishonest trade practices on tourists and travelers.