Visiting Morocco is a feast for the senses, with busy cities and loud markets, colorful buildings, bright blue skies and far-reaching vistas, but nothing is more exciting than the huge range of Moroccan foods on offer. You cannot travel to Morocco and not taste some of their amazing dishes, food from Morocco truly has something for everyone to enjoy.

We’ve pulled together some of our favorite Moroccan dishes here to inspire you.

Moroccan Cuisine Influences

We can’t talk about Moroccan food without also talking about the unique combination of influences and ingredients that have shaped Morocco’s cuisine.

A brief history of Morocco

Found in north Africa, in the Maghreb region, Morocco has an extremely long history. The region traded across the Mediterranean coasts with the ancient Phoenicians and Carthaginians, and the earliest known independent Moroccan state was later conquered by the ancient Roman empire.

While Morocco remained under the influence of the Byzantine empire following the disruption caused by the fall of the western Roman empire, the rise of the powerful caliphate in the Middle East in the 7th century and their rapid expansion into the Byzantine lands meant that Morocco and other neighboring countries became part of the Islamic empire.

The Arabic language and religion of Islam, along with Arabic traditions and food customs, spread fast, especially with widespread Arab migration. This significant change left an indelible mark on Morocco and its food, still evident today.

After the Caliphate eventually fell apart in the 1500’s, Morocco was reunited and was once again an independent state by the late 1600’s. Sadly this was not to last, with the long reach of colonial Europe taking hold in the 1800’s. First Spain, then France took over various parts of the country, claiming the most valuable lands for themselves, with another flood of migrants bringing their own traditions and food with them.

These actions were never universally accepted, but it was not until 1956 that Morocco was able to secure its independence as the modern state we know today.

Moroccan food traditions

Traditional Moroccan food is based on the Amazigh diet (pre-Islamic peoples of Morocco), with the term ‘Berber’ derived from the Islamic word for the Amazigh.

This diet is primarily lamb based, supplemented by vegetables and aromatic herbs and spices like ras el hanout. You will also see plenty of beef, lamb, mutton and chicken on menus but rarely pork – Muslim dietary restrictions mean pork is not popular in Morocco. Fish dishes are also often offered, especially in the coastal regions.

However, Moroccan cooking has taken on Mediterranean elements as well, using olive oil, olives and tomatoes to create delicious dishes.

Balancing sweet and sour flavors is another hallmark of Moroccan cuisine, with preserved lemon a particular favorite ingredient.

Moroccan Food Classics

While some Moroccan dishes will be new to you, there are a couple that are eaten all over the world due to their widespread appeal.

Tagine

Moroccan tagines are incredibly tasty. The word ‘tagine’ refers to both the food and the pot used to cook it, with the flat base and conical lid allowing the meat and vegetables to cook slowly and evenly in the clay cooking pot.

Typically served with some of the excellent Moroccan bread, tagines can be made with almost any combination of meats and vegetables. Often dried fruits or nuts are added as well, like dates, almonds, apricots or prunes.

Couscous

Like the classic tagine, couscous is a core component of Moroccan cooking. Every family has their own version of it, but generally speaking, you’ll find perfectly steamed grains of couscous with a vegetable stew (sometimes also with meat) that has been slow cooked together.

Traditionally served on Fridays, the Muslim holy day, and for special occasions, couscous is served on a large plate for the whole family.

One of the best food from Morocco options given how tasty it is, do be careful ordering couscous in a restaurant if you don’t eat meat – sometimes it isn’t clear if meat is part of the dish or not.

Mint tea

While not technically food, it would be impossible to not talk about Moroccan mint tea.

More than just a delicious drink, mint tea is an integral part of the Moroccan way of life. Served throughout the day, after meals, to welcome guests or to seal deals, the green tea base combined with mint leaves and plenty of sugar is surprisingly refreshing.

Even the brewing of mint tea is a ritual, along with how it is poured, but it can be very strong if you’re not used to drinking it.

Typical Moroccan dishes to try

Here are some of our favorite Moroccan foods to look out for when traveling:

Main dishes

As well as tagine and couscous, there are lots of other dishes that Moroccans eat for their main meal.

Bastilla

Also known as Pastilla or B’stilla, it’s traditionally made with pigeon meat but nowadays is more often found with chicken.

After the chicken or pigeon has been slow cooked with onions and spices, the tender meat is shredded and the sauce reduced before being layered with a flaky pastry. The final layer has crushed almonds, sugar and cinnamon, giving the savory pie a distinctive sweet flavor. Once baked, the Bastilla is sprinkled with more cinnamon and sugar – one of the must try Moroccan foods.

There is also a fish version which omits the sweet ingredients, but is much spicier.

Fish chermoula

Chermoula is a marinade made from olive oil mixed with fresh herbs and spices and an acidic element, often lemon juice or vinegar. While the combination of flavors can vary, it is always tasty, especially with fish.

Fish are marinated in the chermoula sauce before being grilled to perfection, and then more of the sauce is poured over before serving or used as a dipping sauce.

Brochette

Brochette are Morocco’s version of kebabs and koftas, moist chunks of meat skewered and grilled. Generally served with a spicy harissa sauce and bread, you will see rows of brochette ready to be cooked in most markets and butchers.

Harira soup

Harira is a Moroccan soup that is eaten year-round, but is most popular during Ramadan, when it is eaten to break the daily fast.

It’s a tomato and broth soup with chickpeas and lentils, but every family has their own tweaks. Sometimes you’ll find thin noodles or rice added, occasionally a little bit of meat. Harira is not a hugely filling dish in itself, so you can ask for crusty bread to go with it if it you need something more substantial.

Smaller savory dishes

Whether you’re looking for a lighter side dish, breakfast or snack, or want to try some of the excellent street food, here are some suggestions.

Berber omelet

The Berber omelet is usually a breakfast dish, similar to shakshuka. Tomatoes are cooked with plenty of garlic and spices before eggs are either added to be scrambled or poached in the tomato sauce.

Khobz bread

Khobz is one of the most popular bread types in Morocco, a round, thick Moroccan flatbread that goes well with pretty much everything, both sweet and savory.

Traditionally bread was baked in communal wood fired ovens as not every household had their own oven, and today you will still find fresh bread baked daily in every neighborhood.

Bissara

Bissara is deceptively simple, being a soup made from dried fava beans. Its simplicity is what makes it so special, with the beans being simmered with plenty of garlic, cumin and paprika before being pureed. Left thick it works as a dip, and is served as a soup when thinned out a little.

Often eaten for breakfast, Bissara is also a popular side dish when served as a thick puree.

Zaalouk

Zaalouk is a tasty salad or dip (depending on presentation) made with eggplant, tomatoes, garlic and spices.

This works well as both a simple snack with some bread or accompanying a rich meaty tagine.

Maakouda

If you’re exploring Morocco’s street food scene you cannot miss out on some maakouda.

These are deep fried potato balls, often served with a spicy sauce, with plenty of chopped coriander, cumin and garlic.

Fried sardines

Another popular street food, particularly in places near the sea, are sardines.

Stuffed with the chermoula sauce mentioned above and grilled to crispy perfection, these inexpensive fish are a classic food from Morocco.

Babbouche

For a more unusual dish, try some babbouche – a snail soup.

Most popular during the winter, it consists of snails cooked in a spicy broth. Locals pull out the snails with toothpicks and then slurp up the broth.

Sweet dishes

There are very few Moroccan recipes for desserts, the Amazigh word for dessert means fruit and that is what they tend to eat after a meal. However, there are some wonderful sweet treats to enjoy in Morocco.

Briouat

Briouat (also known as briwat) are small pastries made with a type of filo pastry, coming with both sweet and savory fillings.

The most popular sweet filling for them is made with almond paste, with orange flower water and cinnamon for flavor. Finished with honey and sesame seeds, you will find it hard to eat just one of these tasty treats.

Chebakia

With similar flavors to the briouat, chebakia are made from spiced dough, which is carefully shaped and then deep fried before being coated in a honey syrup.

Traditionally chebakia are used to break fast during Ramadan, but are available year round.

Kaab el Ghazal

Another Moroccan cookie, kaab el ghazal translates as ‘horns of the gazelle’ due to their crescent shape.

Baked rather than fried, these delicate cookies are dipped in orange blossom water before serving and are often used for celebrations.

These are just a few of the tasty dishes food from Morocco has to offer, there are so many to try that you’ll have to go there for yourself to see them all. We’ll help you take the guesswork out of finding the best places to eat and drink on our Morocco tours and ensure you have the culinary experience of a lifetime!