Moroccan Food: Where and what to eat in Morocco

Have you heard terms like “pastel”, “couscous” or “tajín” or maybe you don’t have the slightest idea of what you could eat in Morocco, well, don’t worry, in this entry we will indicate you the best dishes of the Moroccan food.

We will tell you what dishes to eat at breakfast, at lunch, what desserts to try or what drinks to have.

Let’s get started!

1. TYPICAL MOROCCAN FOOD

MOROCCAN BREAKFAST FOOD

• Harcha: this is a small bread made with wheat semolina, is widely consumed during Ramadan and is a key companion for breakfast and snacks. It’s Moroccan “toast”. You can eat it with whatever you like, goat’s cheese, butter, jam or honey.
• Khlie: made with well fried or scrambled eggs, it includes meat preserved in fat. It is recommended to eat it with a hot tea to digest the fat well.

MOROCCAN FOOD FOR LUNCH OR DINNER

• Khubz bread: with such an ancestral recipe, this is the star companion to Moroccan stews. Slowly cooked in a wood-fired oven made of clay and straw, this round bread takes the best of the tourists’ considerations.
• Couscous: this is considered the star dish of the country. Its name comes from the Berber term “redondo” or “little round”. Made from wheat semolina, there is a variety of couscous, vegetables, chicken, turkey, beef, among others.
• Tajín:served in a deep dish of baked clay, and with sweet and salty ingredients, it is similar to a stew and comes with chicken and vegetables. It is cooked over a low heat so that it expels a pleasant flavor.

• Pastilla or pastel: made with puff pastry dough (feuille), it is filled with a preparation based on onions, pigeon or chicken meat, parsley and almonds. Combining the sweet with the salty, once again, powdered cinnamon is placed on the dough as a decoration.
• Harira: this is a soup that is usually eaten by Muslims when they break their fast after sunset during Ramadan, their holy month. Served in bowls, it is made with lentils, tomatoes, peas and meat. Its alternative is bissara, another soup prepared with beans.
• Maakouda: widely sold in street stalls, such as the Jemaa el-Fnaa market in Marrakech, this dish is a fried potato ball that is eaten as an appetizer. It is served with a sauce. This is also the origin of the meat kebabs (from cheek or sheep tongue) or sardine.
• Bissara: also called “baysara”, it is a thick soup of dried peas with cumin and olive oil and and you can eat it with bread. It is an economic dish in its preparation and every Moroccan restaurant will have it.

2. TYPICAL DESSERTS OF MOROCCO

• Chebakias: very well known in the country, you will find them in many places. Made with flour, almonds, roasted sesame and saffron, you can accompany them with a cup of mint tea. You can enjoy them as a dessert right after eating your plate of couscous or Tajin or in the afternoon, before sunset.
• Krichlat: made from wheat flour, sugar, honey and nuts, this sweet is similar to faqqas (these have almonds, eggs and yeast in the dough) and malawis.
• Kaab el-ghzal: which means, gazelle horns, resembles marzipan and is made from an almond dough and flavored with orange blossom water and cinnamon. They have the shape of small pies and their name comes from the horn shape they have. It is served with icing sugar and sesame seeds on top as decoration.
• Dates: you can eat it while you are walking on the street. You will find them while walking, there are two types, the deghet – light fingers, which are exported – and the ghars. Dates are the fruit of a plant and look like raisins to the naked eye.

3. TYPICAL MOROCCAN DRINKS

Keep in mind that there are certain restrictions on alcohol intake, so if you go for a walk in the morning, go to a flea market or a shopping mall, you will only be able to find and drink soft drinks. Alcohol can only be found in licensed hotels and bars, so save your stomach for alcohol at night.

• Mint tea: it’s a great Moroccan tradition to drink this drink. So consumed and common that it is very likely that when you go shopping you are offered one while you decide what to take. Remember that not everything is free, they can be charge you or use this drink as a hook to buy.
• Panache juice: ihis juice is multicolor because it has all the fruits of the season, it has a strange taste but that does not mean it is ugly. The combination of flavors can give rise to a unique and refreshing taste.

4. BEST RESTAURANTS TO ENJOY MOROCCAN FOOD

ACCORDING TO TRIPADVISOR

•  Le Trou au Mur

Price: Medium – High
Address: 39 Derb El Farnatchi, Marrakech Medina, Marrakech
Phone: +212 5243 84900

The cost of their dishes ranges from 14 euros to 44 euros and the menu offers you soups, salads, stews, meats, international and typical Moroccan dishes, the latter two if they have a high cost.

• Majorelle Restaurant

Price: Medium – High
Address: 08 Rue Khalid Bnoulwalid, Gueliz, Marrakech 40020
Phone: +212 5244 47029

Their prices are cheaper, ranging from 4 euros to 20 euros. Their menu includes starters, main courses and desserts, these can be the pills or the Moroccan cakes. This restaurant also has a hotel.

•  Riad Jemaa ElFna Restaurant

Price: Medium – High
Address: Boulevard des banques rue Zaari N 42 Kennaria, Marrakech
Phone: +212 5243 81305

Their prices are higher than the two previous proposals, as they range from 80 euros to 174 euros. Its menu includes tajines, couscous and desserts, pills and Moroccan pastries.

• Ame et saveurs

Price: Low
Address: 38 Rue Bab Agnaou, Galerie al qods, Marrakech
Phone: +212 80 8514746

Their rates range from 5 to 24 euros. The plus of this option are the alternatives for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs (there are gluten-free dishes).