Moroccan Food: 15 Dishes You Must Try
Moroccan cuisine is one of the world's richest: a blend of Berber, Arab, Andalusian and Mediterranean flavours, scented with spices (cumin, saffron, ras el-hanout), fresh herbs and dried fruit. Here are the must-try dishes to taste on your trip.
The must-try Moroccan dishes are tagine (slow-cooked in a conical dish, in versions like chicken-lemon-olives, lamb-prunes or kefta-egg), couscous (steamed semolina, traditionally on Fridays), pastilla (a flaky sweet-savoury pie with pigeon or chicken, icing sugar and cinnamon), harira (tomato, lentil and chickpea soup, emblematic of Ramadan), Marrakech's tanjia (meat slow-cooked in a jar in the hammam's oven), mechoui (whole roast lamb) and briouates (small crispy pastries), plus local specialities like rfissa (shredded msemen with chicken, lentils and fenugreek). On the street and for sweets: msemen, brochettes, makouda, zaalouk, gazelle horns and chebakia. All served with khobz bread and mint tea — best enjoyed at a riad's table d'hôte rather than a tourist restaurant.
The main dishes to try
| Dish | What it is |
|---|---|
| Tagine | Slow-cooked in a conical dish: chicken-lemon-olives, lamb-prunes, kefta-egg, vegetables |
| Couscous | Steamed semolina + vegetables and meat, traditionally on Fridays |
| Pastilla (bastilla) | Flaky sweet-savoury pie (pigeon/chicken or seafood), icing sugar and cinnamon |
| Harira | Tomato, lentil and chickpea soup, emblematic of Ramadan |
| Tanjia | A Marrakech speciality: meat slow-cooked in a jar in the hammam's oven |
| Mechoui | Whole roast lamb, tender and fragrant |
| Rfissa | Crumbled msemen, chicken, lentils and fenugreek |
| Briouates | Small crispy pastries (meat, cheese or almond) |
Bread, the street and sweets
- Breads: khobz (round bread), msemen (flaky pancake), harcha (semolina flatbread), baghrir (thousand-hole pancake).
- Street food: brochettes, makouda (potato fritters), sandwiches, snails (babbouche), grilled corn.
- Cooked salads: zaalouk (aubergine), taktouka (pepper-tomato).
- Sweets: gazelle horns, chebakia (Ramadan), sellou, and of course mint tea. See our Moroccan mint tea guide.
Where to taste real Moroccan food
- Riad table d'hôte: home cooking, often the best meal of the trip.
- Markets and street food (Jemaa el-Fna in the evening): see Moroccan street food.
- Cooking class: visit the market then cook your own tagine.
- Traditional restaurants for pastilla and mechoui.
Food tours and cooking classes· GetYourGuide
Culinary experiences on Viator· Viator
Bookable on the ground: our catalogue of cooking classes and food tours.
Travelling vegetarian? See our eating vegetarian in Morocco guide.
FAQ — Moroccan food
What is Morocco's national dish?
What is pastilla?
Is Moroccan food spicy?
What do you eat for breakfast in Morocco?
Where can I taste the best Moroccan food?
In short
Moroccan cuisine is a journey in itself: fragrant tagines, generous couscous, surprising pastilla, honeyed sweets and mint tea. Taste widely, favour home cooking, and treat yourself to a cooking class to take a little Morocco home.
