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23 Best Traditional Food To Try in Morocco

I was so excited to travel to Morocco and try some of its delectable food.  Morocco is all about the intense spices when preparing its dishes.  So I knew that I would be in for a culinary treat, knowing that it would be full of flavor and pack a punch. 

I just got back from Morocco, and I couldnā€™t wait to share with you all the delicious foods we tried.  The dishes I name below are some of Moroccoā€™s most popular and traditional foods to eat. 


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So, one of the ways I got to experience these wonderful foods was by our accommodation.

On our first night in Morocco, we had dinner at our Riad.  Then all other subsequent mornings, we started our day off by eating a hearty breakfast there.  

Plus, other times we indulged in these foods at lunch on our travel tours and had dinner with a selection of food tastings on our Authentic Moroccan Food Tour.  

Experiencing Authentic Moroccan Food

P.S. I highly recommend taking a food tour to get the best experience out of the various Moroccan dishes. 

The food tour with our guide Yahya was a highlight of our trip, and it helped us learn some of the history and culture of Moroccan dishes.  And we got a chance to eat like a local.  The tour was in the evening, starting at 6 PM in Jemaa el-Fna square, and lasted 3 hours.

So without further ado, below is a list of the best food and drinks to try while in Morocco.  Keep reading so you can drool over our scrumptious food as we take a trip through Moroccoā€™s most popular cuisine.

food in Morocco

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1. Chicken Tagine/Tajine

Now this dish is hands down the most popular dish in Morocco.  I think we ate a variation of Tagine every single day.  So what is it exactly?  Well, this dish is cooked in the pot that it’s named after.  Itā€™s like a stew of vegetables and spices like Bell Peppers, onion, potatoes, and carrots.  You name it.  It also includes meat, such as chicken, beef, lamb, or fish.  

The stew is placed in the pot, then covered with a dome-shaped top, then placed in the oven to cook. The clay pot is sealed with a dome-like top, then cooked in the oven or wood-burning oven fire.  

And let me tell you, itā€™s like this stew has been simmering all day long, because when you bite into that chicken..yummm.  It is super duper moist, bursting with exotic flavor.  The spices are coming through all the way and the vegetables are flavorful.  So when in Morocco you must try this dish. Honestly, I donā€™t think you would be able to get away without eating it at least once.

Plus, if you want to try to make this delectable dish at home, you can order the tagine and have the pot sent to your house.  You can even buy a Tagine pot and try to make it at home too. 

2. Sweet Tagine Food

We tried this sweet Tagine dish with beef for dinner as a part of our food tour.  This Tagine was different as the toppings consisted of fruit like raisins and a plethora of onions.  It was different from the other Tagine that comes with vegetables piled high, but it was scrumptious.  

I donā€™t think Iā€™ve ever had a beef dish with raisins, figs, apricots, and dates.  But somehow, all those sweet flavors mixed together worked and made the perfect main dish.  It was both sweet and savory.  This Beef Tagine was my daughterā€™s most favorite Tagine dish.

3. Couscous

Couscous is a significant part of the Moroccan culture.  Itā€™s a tradition to eat Couscous on Fridays (Holy day).  However, you can get couscous in restaurants practically any day.  Couscous is a grain that is similar to rice.  Itā€™s white tiny fluffy balls of goodness.  

You can eat the couscous by itself as they sometimes prepare it with different spices.  Itā€™s also paired well to eat with Tagine.  Our Riad served us the couscous plain with our meal, and we ate it with our chicken Tagine.  It added a bit of consistency to our Tagine, similar to if we wouldā€™ve eaten rice with it.  The tagine juices were soaked up in the couscous, making it a great pairing.  

4. Moroccan Bread

The assorted bread is in abundance here, and it is so yummy.  The circular bread that you will see everywhere is the Khobz AKA Berber bread.  In Morocco, they serve bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  And I ainā€™t mad at that.

The most popular bread, Khobz, is crispy with a thick crust on the outside and soft inside.  

Khobz Bread with Assorted Salads

The Khobz was my favorite type of bread to eat in Morocco.  I loved eating it for breakfast and putting butter and jam on the inside. Then, we would just break pieces off to eat with our main and side dishes for lunch and dinner.  

Also, during our food tour, our guide took us to one of the oldest bakeries in the city.  This place is pretty much a communal oven where families will bring their dough for the owner to bake for them.  He had a tray of bread sitting out, ready for pick-up. We got a chance to try this freshly baked bread. Then we kept it moving to our next stop.

man in oven

5. Babbouche

Yes, snails.  Eating snails here is actually a thing.  We went to the Jemaa el-Fnaa (the famous square) with our tour guide to try some babbouche.  The Morrocan snails are cooked in a broth with different herbs and spices and served in small bowls as soup.  

However, Iā€™m not gonna lie, I was too chicken to try the snails.  But my daughter and husband were brave enough to try them for me. So how do you eat snails? Well, you take a toothpick and pick it out of its shell to eat.  Can you say Bon appetit? 

6. Assorted Salads

So on our first night in Morocco, we had a full 3-course dinner.  The assorted salads were pretty much our starter. When they brought all that food out, we were like, whoa, is this our entire meal? Unbeknownst to us, we still had an entree, dessert, and mint tea left to consume.

assorted salads food in Morocco

So, the assorted salads are usually a variety of cold salads.  Here are a few examples below.

  • Zaalouk-   a salad consisting of eggplant
  • Potatoes – similar to hashbrowns
  • Taktouka – Cooked Tomatoes halves with peppers and onions
  • Baked beans – (self-explanatory)
  • Moroccan tomato salad-  fresh diced tomatoes, onions, coriander (or parsley), olive oil, and spices

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7. Harira

The Harira soup is full of flavor.  Itā€™s a tomato-based soup with a heaping amount of ingredients, including chickpeas, lentils, vegetables, spices, etc.  This hearty soup is mainly eaten during Ramadan to help break the fast.

We had our taste of this hearty soup as one of the starters at dinner during our food tour.  They will make it either with or without meat.  

But ours was just fine without meat, especially when we had a big entree of meat to eat later.

8. Olives

During our food tour, we made a stop at an olive stall in old Medina.Ā  There was a group of people lined up waiting to get their olives.Ā  There were all sorts of olives piled high, with different colors and flavors.Ā 

The guy working there had the various flavors of the olives in different spices and seasonings.  So, we tried several flavors like the spicy olives.  Another kind we had was my favorite. It had herbs like rosemary, parsley, cilantro and olive oil.  

Olives are a big deal here in Morocco.  They are known for cooking with olives in the main dishes like Tagine as well. 

We had olives sprinkled here and there in our lunch and dinner.  Olives seemed to be a decorative piece in our side dishes too.  

If you are a big fan of olives, you will have a field day here. 

Morrocan Sweets

9. Gazelle Horns & Almond Briouats Food

When I say sweet, their sweets are truly sweet but delicious.  I thought desserts in London were the best, but I might have to rethink that. Anyway, our guide from the food tour greeted us with some traditional sweets made by his mother.  

Moroccan sweets food

We first tried Gazelle Horns that is a dough-like pastry made with almond paste and orange blossom water.  Which was scrumptious btw.

Then we had the Almond Briouats, which was the sweetest because it was soaked in honey then fried.  It is very sticky when you pick it up. Both of these sweets were indulgent and oh so yummy.

10. Chebbakiya

The other dessert we tried is Chebbakiya or (Chebakia). Chebakia is a Moroccan rose-shaped cookie dipped in syrup and topped with sesame seeds.  They sure do like their pastries dipped in something. LOL.  

We got a chance to try this dessert at dinner during our food tour.  We had it alongside the Harira soup.  Our guide told us that they dip the cookie in the soup.  Haha, there goes the dipping again.  So, I dipped mine in the soup.  However, I didnā€™t like it that much.  I preferred to eat it on its own.

Chebbakiya food

Lastly, this cookie is also made with Orange Blossom Water, a prominent ingredient in Moroccan sweets and other dishes. 

11. Mint tea

My daughter and I absolutely love tea. I thought tea was drunk the most in England and Turkey. However, upon our arrival at our Riad, they greeted us with Mint tea and cookies. Mint tea is a staple in Moroccan households.  The mint tea is Green tea infused with spearmint leaves and combined with lots of sugar.  Mint tea is delicious. 

Rumor has it; only the men know how to make the mint tea the best.  When I think about it, out of all the times we had tea, we had tea served by a woman one time. That was at an argan oil factory.  Coincidence?  I think not. 

Not to mention, we had mint tea almost 3 to 4 times a day.  It’s customary to drink mint tea after dinner and dessert in Morocco.  The tea is available practically everywhere and it’s served in most restaurants. 

man pouring mint tea
Our Host Pouring Mint Tea

Every tour that we went on, we always had tea time.  The cool part about it is how they serve the tea.  They bring out the teapot and then pull their arm all the way up with the kettle in their hand and pour the tea from mid-air.   

It was the first time Iā€™ve ever seen this done, and it was pretty cool.  Served with a beautiful traditional teapot, tea glasses, all on a fine serving tray

12. Royal Tea

But wait there’s more. More tea? Yes, more tea! You may think that this Royal tea originates in England. But it is actually is another famous tea in Morocco and one of our favorites.  This tea is a blend of 13+ herbs and flowers, including lavender, peppermint, chamomile, rose, star anise, etc.  Depending on the variation on at they put in it. And, when it is brewed, it gives off this sweet aroma.  Itā€™s a more mellow sweet tea that is just so flavorful and smooth.  

The store owner said this cup of tea is good to drink anytime, especially at night to help relax for the evening.

Also, you can bring some of this yummy tea home with you too.  Just go to any of the Souks in Medina and they will sell it to you by the bag.  

13. Pomegranate Food/Drink

Morocco has many types of fruit trees, and pomegranate is one of the most prevalent.  While there, you will see tons of juice stands offering to make your juice with pomegranate.  

We had pomegranate seeds for breakfast, and it was so fresh.  This superfruit is good to eat for breakfast or also yummy as a dessert.   Likewise, you may see pomegranate added to salads and main dishes as well.  Itā€™s not only good, but itā€™s healthy for you too.

14. Pastillas Chicken

Pastillas is a pie made with warqa or filo dough that is thin.  Then it is filled with various meats and vegetables.  Traditionally, they stuffed it with pigeon back in the day.  But now youā€™ll mostly see it prepared with chicken.  The pigeon’s cousin…LOL.  

Pastilles Chicken food in Morocco

Anywho, the chicken is slow-cooked for hours along with spices, onions, and roasted almonds and then shredded before filling it in the pie crust.

Now what makes this pie so unique is that it is sweet and savory.  The cook sprinkles powdered sugar and cinnamon on the outside.  

So, we ate this dish for lunch and then a different version for dinner.  The one we had for dinner as a part of our food tour was the more traditional pastilles.  The one at M Rooftop was more modern.  When they brought ours to the table, they then topped it with orange blossom cream.  

IMO, I think both versions were exquisite and mouth-watering.

Pastille chicken almonds food in Morocco restaurant

15. Msemen 

Msemen is a flaky flatbread fried in a pan or on a griddle.  It is also known as Moroccan pancakes, typically served for breakfast.   

The dough is kneaded and then flattened.  The bread is square-shaped and thick with layers of flaky dough.  This bread is good to eat with butter, honey, or jam.  

moroccan pancakes table food in Morocco

We also had Msemen for dinner made with cheese and honey.  This time the bread was folded over and cut into long slices.  Itā€™s was very delicious. 

However, I enjoyed eating the Msemen for breakfast the most.

16. Baghrir

Baghrir is another type of pancake thatā€™s common in Morocco.  Itā€™s different from the Msemen as it has more of a sponge-like texture.  And itā€™s round like the traditional American pancakes. The holes in this spongy pancake remind me a little of the English Muffin or Crumpets sold in England, but much flatter and thinner.  Plus the holes in this pancake allow the syrup, honey, or whatever topping you like to soak it all up. Getting all that sweet goodness when you bit into it.

moroccan pancakes food in Morocco

17. Briouates 

Briouates is a puff pastry stuffed with various fillings and minced meat.  We had tuna, beef, and vegetables.  It was nice and crispy on the outside and bursting with flavor on the inside.  

It comes in a triangle or egg roll shape then baked or fried.  Itā€™s a great appetizer or snack.  We also experienced this appetizer at the M Rooftop Restaurant. 

18. Dates

There are over 100 types of Dates in Morocco.  You will see dates everywhere, walking around Medina and Jel Me Square.  Needless to say, you should have a taste of this sweet fruit.

When we sat down for dinner, our waiter served us dates along with Harira soup.  It is a tradition to eat dates with the Harira soup during Ramadan.  Iā€™m glad we got to participate somewhat in that tradition, but unfortunately, I wasnā€™t breaking a fast.  LOL.  I was eating all day.  

Anyway, the Dates are good velvety and sweet.  Itā€™s a naturally sweet fruit, so donā€™t feel too bad for eating 1 or 10. 

There is an abundance of millions of Date trees in North Africa and Southern Morocco. 

Why wouldnā€™t you want to eat a fruit from a Date Palm thatā€™s known as the ā€œtree of life?ā€  It sounds like thatā€™s good karma.

19. Raib Beldi

Raib Beldi is a popular yogurt in Morocco.  It is ridiculously fresh and is eaten for breakfast or after dinner as a dessert.   

I think this yogurt is similar to Greek yogurt.  Yet this one is super fresh, thick, and creamy.  We would add pomegranate seeds or other fruit toppings such as diced apples. 

20. Orange Juice

Now, when in Morocco, you have to taste the fresh-squeezed orange juice. You will practically see juice stands everywhere. Luckily for us, we had fresh squeezed OJ every morning for breakfast at our Riad.  You could tell how fresh and organic it was. We had pulp and all.  It was just what we needed to start our day Along with our cup of coffee of course.

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21. Medina Ginger

I was feeling a little under the weather and decided to get this Medina Ginger drink.  And boy, let me tell you.  This drink was tasty.  It definitely packed a punch.  I can tell that it is made from scratch.  I am a Ginger tea drinker, and I know that this one was the truth. 

The Medina Ginger is made with lemon juice, pineapple juice, and ginger.  That combination made this drink sweet and spicy.  If you go to the M Rooftop, then try this drink!

22. Amlou

We went to see some Berber women make argan oil.  Upon arrival, they served us Mint tea and a selection of dips.  One was the traditional Morrocan dip called Amlou.  It is a Nut butter with toasted almonds, argan oil, and honey.  It has a nutty taste and a gritty texture to it.  We tried the dip with Berber Bread. 

The other dips were honey mixed with argan oil, then Argan Oil by itself.

23. Mixed Nuts

So, these are not your ordinary store-bought nuts.  On our food tour, we stopped by a food stall in Medina.  

This selection of nuts was very fresh and crunchy.  Some of the nuts are carmelized and roasted with sugar.  Others have sesame seeds covering them.  It also comes with different spices like cinnamon, chili peppers, salt, etc. 

Thatā€™s it peeps. My list of the best foods to try in Morocco. What foods would you try?Ā  Let me know what you think in the comments.

must try food in Morocco

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