It pays to know one’s onions

Agriculture in Morocco is hugely important to the economy with it employing about 40% of the nation's workforce. South of the Rabat-Fes line, between the Atlas and the Atlantic Ocean, are a series of high plains known collectively as the Moroccan Plateau. One of these such plains is the Saïs Plain near Fès and Meknès. The area between Ifrane and Meknes is a big onion-growing area. Onions are used in almost every Moroccan cuisine.

On your journey through this region you could well be forgiven for asking what the long caterpillar-like structures dotting the landscape are. Fascinatingly, these are strips of storage technology, known as onion caves. Instead of using up precious warehouse space, the farmers in Morocco build these onion caves: essentially a man-made ditch using rock walls and a straw roof and then covered in plastic, to keep the onions off the ground and away from moisture. On inspection they clearly keep the onion in excellent condition. Now you know your onions!