Quotes of the Day

By day, Marrakech's Djamaa El-Fna square is home to a loud, colorful marketplace. Locals shop for herbs and fruit, while the snake charmer's pipes and the fortune teller's call compete for the almighty tourist dollar. By night, though, the square is transformed into a smorgasbord of street food. A cloud of smoke hangs over endless rows of food stalls, each one grilling, boiling, frying or steaming some tasty morsel. Chefs in white aprons scoop, slice and serve like doctors trying to cure world hunger, one bowl of couscous at a time.

But at heart, Djamaa El-Fna is all about the snails. Street vendors selling the tasty mollusks take up an entire side of the square with a long line of vats, each piled with a mountain of mottled brown shells. As ubiquitous as hot-dog vendors in Manhattan, snail stands occupy street corners in all of Morocco's major cities, attracting hungry folk on their way home from work or on a night out with friends.

For about $1, a small bowl of 20 or so b'push can be yours — still in the shell, heads attached. Either suck them out or pry them free with a toothpick. But don't expect the garlicky, buttery taste of French escargots. These little guys are simply steamed over a bowl of herb water, giving them the texture and flavor of cooked mushrooms. When you've emptied the shells, wash it all down with the herb-water broth at the bottom of the bowl. And if you're still hungry, try the boiled sheep's head — but that's another story.

• JUMANA FAROUKY
• Each night Djamaa El-Fna square becomes a smorgasbord