Must-Try Foods and Drinks in Morocco

Moroccan cuisine extends far beyond couscous and tajines. With delicious cooked vegetable salads, tender slow-cooked meats, fresh fruits, and flaky pastries, traditional Moroccan dishes are truly delectable.

Midrange restaurant menus may often feature the same old tajines, so for a wider variety, explore street food or check out the innovative fusion restaurants popping up. Home-cooked meals are among the best in the country, making dining at your riad (guesthouse) another excellent choice. Here are the top dishes and drinks to savor in Morocco.

Discover your favorite tajine

The classic Moroccan dish, tajine, is a stew prepared in a conical earthenware pot that keeps the ingredients wonderfully moist and tender. Popular varieties include chicken with preserved lemons and green olives, lamb or beef with prunes, and kefta (spiced meatballs made from lamb and/or beef) topped with eggs in a tangy tomato sauce.

Recommended spot: Dar Hatim in Fez.

Enjoy a brochette from a street vendor

Moroccan kebabs are a beloved choice, seasoned with salt and spices, grilled on skewers, and served with khobz (flatbread) alongside harissa (spicy chili paste), cumin, and salt. The most popular options include lamb, chicken, kefta, and the savory 'mixed meat' (typically lamb or beef combined with heart, kidney, and liver).

Where to taste it: Djembe El Fna Food Stalls in Marrakesh.

Indulge in Morocco’s beloved national dish, couscous

Known as seksu, Morocco’s national dish is traditionally enjoyed on Fridays, though many restaurants now serve it daily. The traditional preparation is labor-intensive: durum wheat is finely ground and rolled by hand, mixed with salted water and flour, and can take up to five hours to steam into light and fluffy perfection.

Couscous comes with a variety of vegetables – seksu bedawi, originating from Casablanca, features cabbage, carrots, zucchini, onions, potatoes, pumpkin, and squash – or a combination of meat or chicken with vegetables, all served with a rich broth that seeps into the couscous.

Recommended spot: Al Mounia in Casablanca.

Devour some slow-cooked tanjia

This Marrakesh specialty, known as the bachelor’s dish, was originally prepared by single men who would place chunks of meat, onions, preserved lemon, garlic, and cumin into a terracotta pot and take it to a local communal oven or hammam to slow-cook in the embers. Today, it’s a must-try for anyone visiting Morocco.

Recommended spot: Hadj Mustapha in Marrakesh.

Indulge in cornes de gazelle

Translating to gazelle horns, these delightful crescent-shaped cookies filled with almond paste and infused with orange-flower water can be found throughout Morocco, best enjoyed with a steaming cup of “Berber whiskey,” also known as mint tea.

Recommended spot: Pâtisserie Bennis Habous in Casablanca.

Enjoy some bastilla

A specialty from Fes, now popular throughout Morocco, this sweet-savory pie features delicate warqa (filo-like pastry) traditionally filled with pigeon, chicken, or vegetables, along with caramelized onions, lemon, eggs, and toasted almonds, all dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

Recommended spot: Ruined Garden in Fez.

Don't overlook the melt-in-your-mouth mechoui

This classic Moroccan dish features a whole lamb, marinated with spices and slow-roasted for hours in an underground oven until it’s tender enough to fall off the bone. Ideal for sharing in restaurants, but smaller portions are also available at street stalls.

Recommended spot: Mechoui Alley in Marrakesh.

Savor some budget-friendly bissara

This hearty fava bean or broad bean soup is especially favored for breakfast, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with cumin, and served with freshly baked khobz (flatbread). It’s an affordable, filling choice costing just a few dirhams.

Recommended spot: Baissara Ansar in Chefchaouen.

Savor a refreshing maghrebi mint tea

This invigorating beverage, endearingly known as Berber whiskey, is a staple throughout Morocco. It blends steeped green tea with fresh nana mint leaves (spearmint) and sugar, typically offered upon arrival at your riad (guesthouse) or when visiting someone’s home. You'll also find small tea shops scattered throughout the souqs.

Recommended spot: Pâtisserie Driss in Essaouira.

Options for vegetarians and vegans

While Morocco features unique dishes like camel spleen sausages and sheep’s-head soup, there are also abundant vegetarian and vegan choices. Snack on dried fruits, nuts, and olives from the souq, or enjoy goat cheese with freshly baked khobz (bread).

When dining out in Morocco, breakfast options abound with pastries, pancakes, fresh fruits, and freshly squeezed juices. Bissara, a tasty bean soup, is usually meat-free, but be cautious of roadside stalls that might serve snails or sheep’s-head soup.

For lunch, indulge in mezze salads, accompanied by fresh bread. They can range from light cucumbers in orange-blossom water to hearty herbed beets infused with kaffir lime. Vegetarians can occasionally order a vegetable tajine or couscous with seven vegetables—it's best to check in advance.

Pizza is another readily available and affordable vegetarian choice, especially delightful when topped with local herbs and olives.

Must-try dishes

In Morocco, nothing is wasted, and adventurous eaters should sample these well-loved dishes found at markets and food stalls throughout the country.

Snail soup

Remove the earthy snails from their shells to savor the rich broth, or enjoy the broth sans snails; this blend of over 10 spices is said to be beneficial for digestion.

Camel spleen

Imagine camel sausage instead. The spleen is filled with camel meat, spices, and fat from the hump, then baked, sliced, grilled, and served in a flavorful sandwich.

Sheep’s head

Seeing a sheep’s head roasted over hot coals might not be for the faint-hearted, but locals have their favorite parts, often enjoying a tender piece of cheek. The brain might be simmering nearby in a rich sauce.

A year in food

Morocco is the quintessential Slow Food destination, perfect for a visit at any time. While many fruits and vegetables head to Europe, you can discover abundant local, seasonal produce at medina markets, where stalls and wooden carts overflow with vibrant offerings.

Spring (March–May)

This season brings avocados, apricots, and oranges, along with strawberries that are delightful in fresh juices.

Summer (June–August)

During summer, fruits like watermelon, tomatoes, peaches, figs, grapes, and prickly pears come into their prime, and mid-June marks the Cherry Festival in Sefrou.

Autumn (September–November)

In autumn, you'll find an abundance of grapes and pomegranates, revered in the Quran as fruits of paradise, alongside the date harvest – Morocco boasts over 100 different varieties.

Winter (December–February)

The winter months usher in clementines, onions, beetroots, carrots, and potatoes, along with the ever-popular oranges.

Dining during Ramadan

During Ramadan, the majority of Moroccans fast throughout the day, only eating before dawn and after sunset. Dinner is served later than usual, and many rise early for a hearty breakfast before the sun rises.

While you're not required to fast, eating in public can be considered disrespectful. As a result, many restaurants close during the day until iftar, the evening meal to break the fast. However, if you contact restaurants in tourist areas, you might find some open. It's wise to prepare by stocking up on snacks from the market for indoor meals, arranging breakfast or lunch at your guesthouse, and asking locals for good iftar spots.