What's the deal with the spice-pyramid stalls in the souk?

They're gorgeous, aren't they — the conical towers of crimson, ochre and gold stacked at the front of every spice stall in the Marrakech and Fes souks. I love how they look too. But here's the honest framing: those flawless, vividly coloured pyramids are primarily display and marketing. Spices that bright and perfectly sculpted have usually been mixed with colourant and a binder to hold the shape and pop in photos. They're the shopfront, not really the merchandise.

The thing most travellers get burned on is saffron, so pay attention here. Real saffron is the most expensive spice on earth by weight — genuine Moroccan saffron from Taliouine is wonderful but not cheap. If a stall is offering you a fat bag of 'saffron' for a few euros, it's almost certainly safflower (sometimes sold as 'Spanish saffron'), turmeric, or dyed corn-silk threads. A quick test: real saffron releases its colour slowly in warm water and the threads stay red; fakes bleed instantly or the water goes muddy. Crushed-to-powder 'saffron' is best avoided entirely.

Equally common is the 'Berber pharmacy' upsell, which often sits right behind the pretty pyramids. You'll be sat down and shown amber 'musk', 'Berber whitening' blocks, nigella for everything, argan, and the famous 'magic' lipstick that turns pink on your skin. Some of it (argan oil, ras el hanout, real culinary spices) is genuinely good and worth buying; the miracle-cure pitches and the inflated 'special price for you' are where to keep your guard up. It's persuasive, not dangerous.

How to shop these stalls well: treat the pyramids as the welcome sign, then ask for spices weighed fresh from the sacks behind. Buy whole spices over pre-ground where you can (harder to adulterate), smell everything, and for ras el hanout — the great Moroccan blend — buy a small amount from a busy stall locals use. Agree the price per 100 grams before they scoop, watch the scale, and you'll go home with the real, fragrant thing rather than a dyed photo prop. The good spices are there; you just have to look past the show.