Show Me Your Bread
Today was our last full day in Tizi-Noucheg. As usual, everyone gathered on the terrace for yet another amazing breakfast, an assortment of all the breads and spreads we’ve come to love. After we had fuelled up for the day, we met for another Darija lesson. Building on learnings from the day before, today’s lesson focused on introducing oneself and learning more phrases and words for the evening, rather than the morning. Similar to yesterday, we took turns practicing. Some of the words we learned were laila saïda (goodnight) and metcherfine (nice to meet you). Both came in handy throughout the day.
We then returned to the project we had been working on the day before. Day two of making concrete paths was the same procedure as yesterday, shovelling gravel, sand, and concrete together with water, wetting it, and using bucket lines to place the concrete in the appropriate spots. After getting in the groove again and making good progress, we were grateful for another phenomenal second breakfast of delicious treats provided by the community.
After finishing our target goal of the morning, we took a quick break and ate lunch. Our afternoon was incredible, to say the least. We took off to meet Fatima and Khadijah, two local community members who invited us into their homes for two workshops: Bread-making and carpet weaving. The group split into two, and each group took turns doing each activity. Khadijah taught us how to weave carpets in a traditional Moroccan style. It was challenging to get the hang of, but once we learned the knots and cadence, we sank into the silent rhythm of weaving the beautiful designs.
Fatima led us in making a traditional Moroccan bread. It started as all breads do, by mixing flour, yeast, water and a pinch of salt. After kneading the dough for a while, we shaped it into thin discs, then transferred it to the oven to bake. As we waited the 15 minutes or so for it to be ready, we sipped tea and chatted about our time so far in this incredible village. We were all so proud of our loaves and made sure to mark them with a specific sign so that when dinner time came, we would know whose was whose.
To close off our time in Tizi-Noucheg, we walked down a mountain path for a few minutes, reaching a viewpoint that overlooks the valley below, providing us with an amazing spot to watch the sunset. As we watched the stunning rays of light disappear, we couldn’t help but reflect on all we’ve accomplished so far during the trip. After a group photo together to capture the moment, we returned to our guest house to enjoy dinner.
We started with our loaves of freshly made bread, accompanied by a bowl of soup. Excitement filled the room as we ensured that everyone got their own loaf of bread that they had made. It was amazing to see everyone being so proud of their own loaves, with many of us shouting ‘Show me your bread’. Throughout the meal, we were sure to share little pieces with one another, exploring if there would be any change in flavour from loaf to loaf.
To finish off the night, we had our daily chat after dinner, discussing our favourite part of this portion of the trip. Mine has to be the bread making, not just the knowledge of learning the skill, but the kindness and generosity Fatima shared with us, inviting us into her home and sharing this traditional practice she’s such a master at.
We still have a morning in Tizi-Noucheg tomorrow before heading off to Imill to begin the next portion of our trip.
