Moroccan food is one of the best reasons to book the trip. If you grew up on curry goat, pelau, mofongo or a Sunday pot of stew, you will feel at home fast: slow-cooked meat, warm spices, bread for mopping up sauce and a host who keeps telling you to eat more. The difference is in the details. Moroccan cooking is fragrant rather than fiery, sweet and savory often share a plate, and the best meals happen in homes and tiny family-run places. Here are the dishes you should try, where to find them and how to eat them like a local.
The Moroccan food dishes you must try
Tagine
Tagine is both the dish and the cone-shaped clay pot it cooks in. Meat or fish simmers slowly with vegetables, spices and a little water until everything turns tender. Classic versions include chicken with preserved lemon and olives, lamb or beef with prunes and almonds, and kefta (spiced meatballs) with tomato and a cracked egg on top. You will see tagine on every menu, so try several. Quality varies a lot: a good one has been cooking for hours, not minutes.
Couscous
Friday is couscous day in Morocco, when families gather after midday prayers. Fine semolina is steamed two or three times over a broth, then topped with seven vegetables and meat or chicken. A sweet version, couscous tfaya, adds caramelized onions and raisins. Many restaurants serve it every day, but a Friday couscous in a family home is the real thing.
Pastilla (bastilla)
Picture a flaky pie made of paper-thin warqa pastry, filled with spiced pigeon or chicken, almonds and egg, then dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Sweet and savory in one bite. Fes is famous for it. There is also a seafood pastilla, which is more savory and often a little spicy.
Harira
This hearty tomato, lentil and chickpea soup with herbs and a little meat is the dish that breaks the fast during Ramadan, usually served with dates and chebakia (sesame and honey pastries). It is cheap, filling and found year-round at small soup stalls. If you visit during the holy month, read our guide to traveling in Morocco during Ramadan for the full ftour experience.
Mechoui and tangia
Mechoui is a whole lamb slow-roasted in an underground oven until it falls off the bone; you eat it with your fingers, salt and cumin. Tangia is Marrakech’s own bachelor dish: beef or lamb, preserved lemon, garlic and spices sealed in a clay urn and left for hours in the ashes of a hammam furnace. Ask for it near Jemaa el-Fna, sold by weight.
Rfissa
Shredded msemen flatbread soaked in a broth of chicken, lentils and fenugreek. It is comfort food served after a birth or on special occasions, and a good sign that you have found an authentic restaurant.
Sweets and pastries
Save room for dessert. Kaab el ghazal (“gazelle horns”) are crescent pastries filled with almond paste and orange-flower water. Chebakia are flower-shaped cookies fried, soaked in honey and rolled in sesame, everywhere during Ramadan. Sellou is a rich, crumbly mix of toasted flour, almonds and sesame that families make for celebrations. Briouats come both savory (stuffed with cheese or meat) and sweet (filled with almonds and dipped in honey). After a big meal, many restaurants simply bring sliced oranges with cinnamon, a light finish that is very Moroccan.
Breakfast, bread and street food
Moroccan breakfasts are generous. Expect msemen (square, layered flatbread that will remind Trinidadians a little of paratha roti), baghrir (spongy “thousand-hole” pancakes), harcha (semolina griddle cakes), olive oil, honey, amlou (a spread of argan oil, almonds and honey), fresh orange juice and mint tea.
Bread (khobz) comes with every meal and doubles as your spoon. Street food worth trying includes:
- Bocadillos and sandwiches stuffed with kefta, liver or merguez sausage, grilled to order.
- Snail soup (babbouche) in Jemaa el-Fna, a spicy broth said to help digestion.
- Bissara, a thick fava bean soup with olive oil and cumin, popular on cold mornings in Fes and the north.
- Grilled sardines in coastal cities like Essaouira, where you can pick fish at the port and have it grilled on the spot.
- Sfenj, ring-shaped doughnuts fried in the morning and eaten with sugar.
Our day trip from Marrakech to Essaouira leaves free time at the fishing port for exactly that kind of lunch.
Regional specialties at a glance
| Region | Try | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Marrakech | Tangia, mechoui, Jemaa el-Fna food stalls | The city’s signature slow-cooked meats |
| Fes | Pastilla, bissara, honey pastries | Old imperial cuisine, refined and sweet-savory |
| Essaouira and the coast | Grilled fish, seafood pastilla | Catch of the day straight from the port |
| Sahara (Merzouga) | Madfouna, “Berber pizza” | Flatbread stuffed with meat, onions and spices, baked in sand or a clay oven |
| High Atlas | Berber tagine, walnuts, honey | Mountain produce cooked over wood fire |
| Chefchaouen and the north | Fresh goat cheese, bissara | Rif mountain dairy traditions |
Drinks: mint tea and more
Mint tea (atay) is green gunpowder tea brewed with fresh spearmint and plenty of sugar, poured from a height to make foam. It is offered as a welcome everywhere: in homes, shops and even when you are haggling in the souk. If you prefer it less sweet, ask for “shwiya sukar” (a little sugar) or “bla sukar” (no sugar) before it is poured.
Other drinks to try include nous-nous (half coffee, half milk), fresh avocado and almond smoothies, and freshly squeezed orange or pomegranate juice. Alcohol is legal but discreet. Licensed hotels, riads with a license and some restaurants serve wine and beer, and Morocco produces its own wines. Many traditional restaurants serve no alcohol at all, so do not be surprised.
Spice levels: what Caribbean travelers should know
If you love scotch bonnet heat, Moroccan food may feel mild. It relies on cumin, ginger, saffron, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and ras el hanout, a blend that can contain more than 20 spices. Heat comes on the side: ask for harissa, the chili paste, and add as much as you like. Vegetarians eat well too, with vegetable tagines, lentils, chickpeas, zaalouk (smoky eggplant salad) and taktouka (pepper and tomato salad). Vegans should mention butter (smen) and broth when ordering.
How to eat like a local
- Use your right hand. When eating from a shared dish, tear a piece of bread and scoop from the section in front of you. The left hand is traditionally reserved for personal hygiene.
- Wash first. In homes, a host may bring a basin and kettle to pour water over your hands before the meal.
- Pace yourself. A family meal can have several courses, and your host will keep refilling your plate. Leaving a little food is fine.
- Say thank you. “Shukran” (thank you) and “bismillah” (said before eating) go a long way. For more on table manners, read our guide to Moroccan customs and etiquette.
Eating safely and how much it costs
Busy places with a fast turnover are usually the safest bet. Choose food cooked hot in front of you, peel your fruit, and stick to bottled water if your stomach is sensitive. Our Morocco travel health guide covers water, food hygiene and what to pack in your first-aid kit.
Prices are kind to your wallet. A bowl of harira or a street sandwich costs very little, a tagine in a local restaurant is usually inexpensive, and a set dinner in a riad or a stylish restaurant costs much more. Lunches are normally not included on our tours, so you choose: a quick local lunch on the road or a long sit-down meal.
Where to taste the best food
The finest Moroccan cooking often happens far from tourist menus. On a guided walk through the medina, you can stop at bakeries, spice shops and snack stalls that you would never find alone. Our guided Fes medina tour is a great introduction to the oldest food culture in the country. On multi-day trips, dinners at riads, kasbahs and desert camps are included, so you will taste home-style tagines and soups every evening. For more planning tips, explore our full Morocco travel guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the national dish of Morocco?
Couscous is widely considered the national dish and is traditionally eaten on Fridays. Tagine is equally iconic and served every day across the country.
Is Moroccan food spicy?
Not usually. It is heavily spiced with cumin, ginger, cinnamon and saffron but rarely hot. Chili comes on the side as harissa, so you can adjust the heat yourself.
Is it easy to eat vegetarian in Morocco?
Yes. Vegetable tagines, couscous with seven vegetables, lentils, bissara and cooked salads are common. Ask whether a dish uses meat broth or smen (aged butter) if you are strict.
Can I drink alcohol in Morocco?
Yes, in licensed hotels, bars and some restaurants. Many traditional restaurants do not serve alcohol, and drinking in public places is frowned upon.
Are meals included on your tours?
On multi-day tours, breakfast and dinner are included at each overnight stop. Lunches and drinks are usually paid separately so you can choose where to eat.
