Moroccan cuisine is one of the richest in the world, mixing Berber, Arab, Andalusian and French influences. Spices like cumin, saffron, cinnamon and ras el hanout, slow cooking in clay pots and generous hospitality make every meal an experience. Here are 15 dishes and drinks our guides recommend to every traveller.
Main dishes
1. Tagine
Named after the conical clay pot it is cooked in, tagine is Morocco’s national dish. Popular versions include chicken with preserved lemon and olives, lamb with prunes and almonds, beef with vegetables, and kefta (meatballs) with eggs. You will eat tagine almost everywhere – and it is different in every region.
2. Couscous
Traditionally served on Fridays after prayer, couscous is steamed semolina topped with seven vegetables and meat. Try couscous tfaya, with caramelised onions and raisins.
3. Pastilla (Bastilla)
A spectacular sweet-and-savoury pie from Fes: thin warqa pastry filled with pigeon or chicken, almonds, eggs and spices, dusted with sugar and cinnamon. A seafood version is popular on the coast.
4. Tangia
The dish of Marrakech. Beef or lamb, garlic, cumin, saffron and preserved lemon are sealed in a clay jar and slow-cooked for hours in the ashes of the hammam furnace. Try it near Jemaa el-Fna.
5. Mechoui
Whole lamb slow-roasted in an underground oven until it falls off the bone, served with cumin and salt.
6. Medfouna – the “Berber pizza”
In Merzouga and Rissani, bread dough is stuffed with minced meat, onions, eggs and spices and baked in the hot sand or a clay oven. Our desert guests love it for lunch.
7. Rfissa
Shredded msemen pancakes with chicken, lentils and fenugreek – a comforting family dish often cooked to celebrate a birth.
Soups and starters
8. Harira
A tomato, lentil and chickpea soup with herbs and a little meat, famous for breaking the fast during Ramadan.
9. Bissara
A thick fava bean soup with olive oil and cumin, a cheap and delicious breakfast in the medina of Fes and in the north.
10. Moroccan salads
Zaalouk (smoky aubergine and tomato), taktouka (peppers and tomatoes) and carrot salad with cumin are served as small plates before the main course.
Breakfast and snacks
11. Msemen, baghrir and harcha
Square flaky pancakes (msemen), “thousand-hole” semolina pancakes (baghrir) and semolina bread (harcha), served with honey, butter and amlou.
12. Amlou
A spread of argan oil, roasted almonds and honey from the Souss region – addictive on fresh bread.
Sweets and drinks
13. Moroccan pastries
Cornes de gazelle (almond-filled crescents), chebakia (sesame and honey flowers) and briouats with almonds go perfectly with tea.
14. Mint tea
Green tea with fresh mint and sugar, poured from high to create foam, is the symbol of Moroccan hospitality. Refusing the first glass is considered impolite!
15. Fresh orange juice and avocado smoothies
The juice stalls of Jemaa el-Fna sell fresh orange juice for a few dirhams, and avocado “jus d’avocat” with milk and dates is a local favourite.
Food tips
- Eat with your right hand when sharing bread from a common dish.
- Vegetarians can easily enjoy vegetable tagines, couscous and salads.
- Choose busy places with a quick turnover of food.
- Try a cooking class in Marrakech to learn how to make tagine.
Taste Morocco with us
On our tours you will eat in family restaurants and traditional kasbahs, enjoy a tagine dinner in the desert camp and taste medfouna in Merzouga. Discover our 4 days from Marrakech to Fes via the desert or a day trip to Essaouira for the best grilled fish on the coast. WhatsApp: +212 606-957514.