Moroccan cuisine is one of the world’s richest, built on slow cooking, warm spices and generous sharing. The must-try classics include tagine, couscous and pastilla, alongside street snacks, breads and sweet pastries. Here are twelve traditional dishes to taste, and to learn.
The essential main dishes
1. Tagine. The signature slow-cooked stew, from chicken with preserved lemon to lamb with prunes.
2. Couscous. Steamed semolina with vegetables and meat, the traditional Friday dish and a UNESCO-listed heritage food.
3. Pastilla. A sweet-and-savoury pie of crisp pastry, spiced filling and cinnamon sugar, served at celebrations.
4. Harira. A hearty tomato, lentil and chickpea soup, especially popular during Ramadan.
5. Tanjia. A Marrakech speciality of slow-cooked meat prepared in a clay urn, traditionally cooked in the embers of the hammam.
6. Mechoui. Whole roasted or slow-cooked lamb, tender and simply seasoned, served at feasts.
Breads and street food
7. Khobz and msemen. Everyday round bread and flaky square pancakes, eaten at almost every meal.
8. Bghrir. Spongy “thousand-hole” semolina pancakes served with butter and honey.
9. Briouats. Crisp filled pastry triangles, sweet with almonds or savoury with meat or seafood.
Sweets and drinks
10. Chebakia. Sesame-and-honey pastries shaped like flowers, a Ramadan favourite.
11. Gazelle horns (kaab el ghzal). Delicate almond-filled crescent pastries.
12. Moroccan mint tea. Sweet green tea with fresh mint, poured from a height and offered as a sign of welcome.
Taste and cook them in Marrakech
The best way to know these dishes is to cook them. In our cooking classes in Marrakech, you prepare Moroccan classics from scratch with a local family and share the meal together. Ready to cook? Book on WhatsApp at +212 661 883 405 or email booking@moroccanculinary.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous Moroccan dish?
Tagine and couscous are the two most iconic Moroccan dishes. Tagine is a slow-cooked stew named after its conical clay pot, while couscous is steamed semolina served with a vegetable and meat broth, traditionally eaten on Fridays.
What is a typical Moroccan meal?
A typical meal often starts with salads or soup such as harira, followed by a main tagine or couscous shared from the centre of the table, with fresh bread and mint tea. Sweets and pastries appear on special occasions.
Is Moroccan food spicy?
Moroccan food is aromatic rather than hot. It relies on warm spices such as cumin, ginger, cinnamon, saffron and ras el hanout, which add depth and fragrance without strong chilli heat.
Where can I learn to cook Moroccan dishes?
You can learn hands-on in Marrakech with a local family through Moroccan Culinary’s cooking classes. Book on WhatsApp at +212 661 883 405.
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