Traditional Moroccan Dishes and Foods

Moroccan food is spicy, but in a different way – you'll find cumin, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, saffron and other fragrant spices, always in abundance, but never overpowering. Keep an eye out for ras el hanout; literally translating to “the best of the shop”, it's a common spice blend found in Moroccan marketplaces.

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The Tagine

The most commonly cooked Moroccan food dishes consist of lamb, followed by chicken, and are usually prepared the traditional way in a tagine. A tagine is a traditional round clay dish with a cone-shaped lid used to lock in heat and flavour, braising meat and vegetables until tender and super-fragrant. Along with meats, legumes such as lentils and chickpeas are also popular to add protein. Hearty vegetables like pumpkin, potatoes, and carrots are commonly added to tagines with the clever additions of olives for saltiness and fruits like currants and pomegranate seeds for sweetness.

Couscous

In Morocco, almost no dish is eaten without couscous. A combination of wheat flour, semolina, barley, and corn, couscous is milled and rolled into a fine grain that swells and softens when cooked in hot water or stock. Its light, fluffy texture and neutral flavour make it the perfect vehicle for the rich flavours of the tagine. Much like in other parts of Africa, your hands are your best cooking and eating tool in Morocco. Preparing and eating Moroccan food is an immersive, tangible experience that’s a true ritual and pleasure in one’s day and a process to be valued and respected.

Traditional Moroccan Dishes and Foods

Loubia

Moroccan Loubia is a traditional dish consisting of stewed white beans. Very popular in Moroccan homes, the beans are simmered in a zesty tomato-based sauce and then scooped up with Moroccan bread. Served as either an appetizer garnished with some coriander or parsley, as a side dish alongside fried fish or baked chicken, or as one of the staple Moroccan street food recipes, this versatile, hearty dish is a healthy and filling traditional classic.

Traditional Moroccan Dishes and Foods

Harira

Another of the iconic Moroccan street food recipes is Harira – a herb-rich, tomato-based soup with a velvety-smooth, creamy texture, as the word hareer signifies velvetiness in Arabic. Rated the most popular soup in Morocco, Harira is made from various legumes such as lentils, fava beans, chickpeas, tomato sauce, harissa paste, and fresh herbs such as parsley, turmeric, saffron, lemon, caraway seeds, and coriander. These staple ingredients most commonly comprise this traditional Arabic dish; however, every region in Morocco has its version of the soup and it is commonly eaten to break one’s fast after Ramadan.

Moroccan Sweets

For dessert time in Morocco, a sweet treat enjoyed is Chebekia – a flower-shaped sesame cookie that’s fried and then doused in sweet honey and is enjoyed after the meal. Following any and every meal, however, no matter the time of day is fresh fruit. A communal fruit platter is placed in the middle of the table for sharing and is thought to help the digestion of foods.

Try this Moroccan Recipes

Chermoula Crusted Fish Fillets with Spicy Salsa

Spice-Poached Fish and Cous Cous Salad

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