The potters of the Ourika road and how to choose a tagine

• Watch potters at the wheel in family workshops
• Pottery workshop, 30 EUR per person: shape a piece on the wheel and take it home
• Plain terracotta cooking tagines, straight from the maker
• How to season a tagine before the first use
• Packing tips for checked luggage

The potteries of the Ourika Valley are small family workshops along the road between Marrakech and Tnine Ourika, where potters shape red clay on the wheel, dry the pieces in the sun and fire them in kilns often heated with wood. They sell mostly everyday ware: cooking tagines, serving tagines, bowls, bread plates, planters and water jars. For cooking, the piece to choose is a plain, unglazed terracotta tagine with a thick, even base; brightly painted, glazed tagines are often made for serving or decoration only. A new clay tagine is seasoned before use: soaked for several hours, rubbed with olive oil, then heated slowly in an oven at about 150 °C. Watching the potter is free, and prices are negotiable and paid in cash in dirhams. A hands-on pottery workshop at the wheel costs 30 EUR per person, paid online, and you take home the piece you shaped.

The potteries are one of the stops our guests ask for most often, and the best place to buy a tagine that actually cooks.

Pottery workshop: try the wheel

Watching is good, trying is better. We run a hands-on session in a potter's workshop on the Ourika road, at 30 EUR per person. You sit at the wheel next to the potter, he helps you centre the clay, and you shape a piece with your own hands, usually something simple like a small bowl. Expect wet sleeves and a first attempt that collapses: it is part of the lesson. Children love it, and it is one of the few activities in the valley where they are allowed to get properly dirty. Wear clothes that do not mind clay.

You leave with the piece you shaped: it is part of the workshop. Ask the potter for some wrapping and carry it with care, like any pottery you buy on the road.

The workshop costs 30 EUR per person. Transport from Marrakech is not included: you can add it at booking, a private vehicle with driver at 120 EUR for 1 to 7 people or 200 EUR for 8 to 17, return trip, or do the workshop as a stop during a private day trip, such as our Ourika Valley day trip or our Ourika half day. You book on our booking page and pay online with PayPal or a bank card via PayPal; the confirmation email arrives at once, and cancellation is free up to 7 days before. Online booking goes up to 17 people; above 17, contact us.

The roadside potteries

These are small family workshops rather than factories. The pieces are made a few steps from where they are sold: clay is prepared in the yard, turned in a shaded workshop, dried outside and fired in a kiln at the back. Most workshops welcome visitors who want to watch, even if they do not buy. Ask first, keep clear of the drying pieces, and do not touch anything that has not been fired: raw clay is very fragile.

The stalls mostly sell everyday pottery made for Moroccan kitchens and gardens: cooking tagines, serving tagines, couscous bowls, bread plates, planters and large water jars. Alongside, some sellers display painted and glazed pieces made elsewhere in Morocco. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you want something made on the spot, ask what comes from the workshop itself.

How is a tagine pot made?

The potter starts with local red clay. It is soaked, cleaned of stones and roots, then kneaded by hand or foot until it is smooth and free of air bubbles, which would make the piece crack in the kiln.

Then comes the wheel, often a foot-powered one. The base of the tagine is thrown as a wide, shallow dish with a raised rim. The lid, the famous cone, is thrown separately, and its little knob is formed at the top. Watching an experienced potter pull a cone from a lump of clay in a few minutes is worth the stop on its own.

The pieces dry slowly, first in the shade, then in the sun, so they do not crack. Once completely dry, they are stacked in a kiln fired with wood and branches. The firing gives terracotta its colour and strength. Pieces meant for glazing are coated and fired a second time.

Glazed or plain terracotta?

This is the most important choice.

Plain, unglazed terracotta is what Moroccan families cook with. The porous clay absorbs a little moisture and spreads heat gently, which is why stews cooked in it come out so tender. It must be seasoned before use and should never go in the dishwasher.

Glazed tagines are shiny, easier to clean and look lovely on a table. Some are made for cooking and are glazed only inside or only partly. Many others, especially the brightly painted ones, are made for serving or decoration. Some decorative glazes are not meant to be in contact with hot food. The rule we give our guests is simple: ask the potter whether a glazed piece is made for cooking, and if you are not sure, use it to serve cold dishes, dry goods or as decoration only.

A good cooking tagine has a thick, even base without cracks, a lid that sits well on the rim without wobbling, and a clear, ringing sound when you tap it gently with a fingernail. A dull sound can mean a hidden crack.

How do you season a clay tagine at home?

A new plain clay tagine needs seasoning before its first use. The method most Moroccan cooks follow:

1. Soak the base and lid in water for several hours, ideally overnight.
2. Let them dry, then rub the inside and outside with olive oil.
3. Put the tagine in a cold oven, heat it to a low temperature (about 150 °C) and leave it for a couple of hours.
4. Turn the oven off and let the tagine cool completely inside.

Afterwards, a few habits keep it alive for years: always cook on low heat, use a heat diffuser on gas or electric hobs, never put an empty tagine on the heat, never pour cold water into a hot tagine, and wash it with hot water and a brush, with little or no soap. For recipes to try, see our page on food in the Ourika Valley.

Other pieces worth a look

A tagine is not the only thing to bring home. Small terracotta bowls are perfect for olives, spices or salads and travel easily. Clay bread plates and couscous dishes are heavier but sturdy. Gardeners often fall for the plain planters, which age beautifully outdoors. If you are buying several pieces, choose a mix of sizes that nest inside each other: it saves space in the suitcase and protects the smaller ones.

How do you pack pottery for the flight?

Pottery survives the trip well if you give it a little care:

• Wrap the base and the lid separately. The knob of the lid is the weakest point.
• Fill the inside. Stuff socks or T-shirts inside the base and the cone so there is no empty space.
• Put it in the middle of your suitcase, surrounded by soft clothes on all sides, not against a wall of the case.
• Ask the seller for extra wrapping. Workshops are used to travellers and usually have paper or cardboard.
• Hand luggage is possible for a small piece if it fits the airline's size rules, and it is the safest way for something fragile.

Shipping is sometimes offered, but costs and delivery vary widely, and breakage in transit is common. For one or two pieces, your own suitcase is usually the better option.

Buying fairly

Prices are rarely marked at roadside workshops, and bargaining is normal. Ask the price, take your time, compare two or three pieces, and make a fair offer if you are really interested. Keep it friendly: a smile and a counter-offer are part of the conversation, walking away after a price has been agreed is not. Pay in cash in dirhams, as cards are rarely accepted. Our page on cooperatives and villages gives more tips on buying fairly in the valley.

Adding a pottery stop to your day

The potteries are on the way to the argan oil cooperative, so a stop is easy to add to our Ourika Valley day trip: just tell your driver in the morning. On a private cooperatives and villages tour, we can plan a longer visit, and you can combine it with a look at Berber rugs woven in the valley.

Sources

• Wikipedia, Tajine (earthenware pot, conical lid returning condensation, heat diffuser)
• US Food and Drug Administration, questions and answers on lead-glazed traditional pottery