I just listened to this podcast today and I know what the "odd odor" is- and it's not Raid!! (I kept shouting to the radio! )
It is either Orange Blossom water or Rose water. They definitely have a unique "scent" to them, and are used in desserts fairly often.
Neither are smells/tastes we in the US associate with our foods (just like the cinnamon & sugar with meat). They sell both of them in the shops there at the pavilion.
I am part Armenian, and growing up, much of the foods we ate for special gatherings, etc. were very similar to the foods Morocco serves. I happen to love their food- it is not at all "foreign" to me- but rather more like comfort food.
But I do understand when people unfamiliar with this type of food find it "odd."