Eid Mubarak!

       Ghaif, beghrir, arzaza, cookies, and small dishes of honey – as well as a giant teapot of sweet mint tea – decorated the breakfast table this morning. We feasted in honor of the Prophet’s birthday, celebrated today in Morocco. I had seen arzaza for sale on the streets before; it looks like angel hair pasta wound into tight disks, but I hadn’t ever tried it. I was pleasantly surprised by its bready texture, and the hint of rosewater in its flavor. The beghrir – Moroccan crepes – were familiar: cooked only on one side, the other side bubbles up and leaves a wonderfully nooked and crannied exterior. The spongy crepe soaks up the honey, sticky but delicious to eat. The flaky, toothsome ghaif – Moroccan pancakes – are my favorite. Hearty but also delicate, they are best fresh off the griddle on some hidden street in the medina with a thin layer of Laughing Cow cheese, but the pancakes this morning and the sweet honey to go with them were nothing to complain about. The cookies were almond-based - think giant French macaron shells, or a thin pastry wrapped around rose-water flavored almond paste. Fortunately I passionately love almonds.

            I’m pretty sure only Morocco celebrates the Prophet’s birthday today. Most Muslims, especially in the 9^th and 10^th century, would have been horrified at the idea of a holiday on Muhammad’s birthday. The Qur’an makes it clear that Muhammad was just another man, not divine in any way, and certainly not the son of God, like Christianity claimed for its prophet. The idea of a “Muslim Christmas” would have Ibn Taymiyya rolling over in his grave. However, in the 11^th century, a mystic movement, called Sufism, gained a lot of traction in the Muslim world as foreign invasions in the east caused major political and economic instability. Sufism became popular in the Islamic west as well. One trait of Sufism that led to its denunciation by many traditional Islamic scholars was its attribution of supernatural or divine qualities to the Prophet, or excessive veneration of him. Today’s holiday would probably fall into the “excessive veneration” category, but luckily for the traditionalists, it’s nothing like Christmas. Besides the large and delicious breakfast, the day proceeded as normal.

(Also, if you’ve been wondering why I haven’t posted any photos lately…I’m embarrassed to admit that I dropped my camera and it’s no longer working. I’m giving it a rest and am hoping it works next time I turn it on, but there’s a good chance you might be reading a lot of flowery descriptions in lieu of images for the rest of my trip. Sorry!)