Moreish Morocco

NORTH African food is growing in popularity but it's still an exotic cuisine in Ireland.

- SEAN MURPHY

It's healthy, big on flavour and often contains superfoods and is adding spice and colour to our culinary choices.

So chef Rory O'Connell went all the way to Morocco to bring it home to Irish kitchens for his new TV show.

His latest RTE series, How to Cook Well in Morocco, starting tonight, takes him through the towns in this celebrated north African country.

He crosses from Spanish surfer hotspot Tarifa to Tangier before embarking on a dream trip through destinations like Essaouira, once popular with Jimi Hendrix and also Fez and Marrakesh.

Essaouira, Marrakesh, and Agadir are becoming popular holiday destinations for Irish tourists.

And it is easy to see throughout the seven-part series why Morocco is one of Rory's favourite countries.

Cultural cuisine delights like fish tagine, harira soup, flatbreads, mint tea and famous Moroccan street food are on screen with Rory in the former French colony.

He shared some of his recipes with the Irish Mirror and told us: "Morocco is like being in a kind of a story. I really wanted to film there.