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FAMILY TRAVEL One of the spectacular African dance troupes in the Jemaa El Fna, in the medina at Marrakech. inside a former palace. The waiters, clad entirely in white, shuffle silently in babouche (Moroccan) slippers curled up at the toes. The chicken is so tender it's carved with a butter knife. Hoping to learn more about the cuisine, we hire a car and driver to take us an hour south to Morocco's food bowl – the Ourika Valley, in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. ROCK THE KASBAH The ritual of drinking tea in Morocco is as old as time itself. We duck our heads to enter the mud-brick home of a local Berber woman, who performs tea ceremonies for tourists – last week she hosted British actor Jude Law, who owns a holiday home here. She drops a huge chunk of sugar in a pot, followed by green tea leaves and fresh mint. Once brewed, she pours the liquid from a great height to aerate the tea and improve the flavour. The result is sweet, sticky and addictive. An hour later we drink more tea at Tnine Saffron Farm, where the stamens of crocus flowers are swiftly hand-picked at dawn before they wilt. This painstaking manual cultivation process is what makes saffron the king of spices: it is worth more than gold. Perched majestically on a hill overlooking the saffron farm is our accommodation, Kasbah Bab Ourika. In the past, kasbahs were high-walled castles used as a defence when the city was under attack. But this historic monument turned luxury hotel has all the mod cons: soft leather lounges, feather-down pillows, fireplaces, a bar, a pool, a library and a restaurant. The menu is a mix of old and new – traditional Berber specialties and international cuisine. We dine on an entrée of pear and blue cheese salad, followed by beef and prune tagine, and finish with flourless chocolate cake, while the kids tuck into chips, pizza and spaghetti bolognaise. The piece de resistance of this meal is the owner's daughter, Lourdes, a five-year-old who speaks seven languages. She captivates our son, 44 www.travelandliving.com.au