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Tajine
Tajine is found throughout Morocco. The name refers to the shallow clay pot with a conical lid as well as the dish cooked inside it. Recipes vary by region and household, with versions based on meat, fish or vegetables.
Marrakesh: tanjia and Jemaa el-Fnaa
Tanjia is a speciality of Marrakesh. Meat, preserved lemon, garlic, cumin, saffron and fat are placed in a tall clay jar and slow-cooked, traditionally in the embers of a communal oven or hammam furnace. The result is very tender meat in a concentrated sauce.
At Jemaa el-Fnaa, establish the price before accepting bread, olives or small side plates, as they may be added to the bill. Choose a stall that squeezes orange juice in front of you rather than serving it from a prepared jug.
Breakfast breads
Msemen is folded, layered and cooked on a griddle. Baghrir is a soft semolina pancake full of small holes, usually served with honey and butter. Harcha is also semolina-based but crumbly, grainy and much drier.
Fes medina food and traditional restaurants
Fes cooking leans into sweet-savoury combinations. Pastilla hides pigeon or chicken beneath crisp warqa pastry; poultry versions are dusted with sugar and cinnamon. It sounds wrong until the salty filling, almond sweetness and brittle pastry arrive together. Then it’s even more wrong.
I loved it tbh, but it’s not for everyone and gets old fast. It’s better shared or eaten in two times (It’s lovely for both dinner and breakfast)
I tried it in Dar Baraka in Meknes. It’s one of the best rated and famous restaurant of Meknes. The owner and his wife are the only two employees, and the location is their home, thus you understand the novelty; Oh, it’s also not guaranteed you get a spot, you knock, the owner looks at you, then decide if you can enter!
Rfissa is shredded msemen soaked with chicken broth, lentils and fenugreek. It is soft, rich and more filling than its appearance suggests. Khlii (Khlee?) is meat preserved with salt, spices and fat, then used with eggs or beans. It is concentrated and salty, and is usually treated as an ingredient rather than eaten alone like jerky. My roommate often get some from his mom, but I never dared try. Apparently it’s used for breakfasts or as an ingredient for some dishes.
For sweets, cornes de gazelle are slender almond pastries perfumed with orange blossom. Ghriba are round, cracked cookies made in several versions, including almond, sesame and semolina. (But it often breaks apart quickly) Sellou is a dense, crumbly mixture of toasted flour, sesame, almonds, spices and fat. Baklava is not of moroccan origin, but common. They differ from the tunisian/armenian Baklava and are closer to the Turkish ones.
Ghriba and cornes de gazelle crumble easily, so use a rigid box if you plan to carry them on a train or in a backpack.
Amlou and argan oil
Amlou combines ground roasted almonds, honey and culinary argan oil. It is runnier than peanut butter and can leak from a poorly sealed jar. Buy a small jar first and pack it upright (or keep the seal, they are often well sealed.)
It is particularly associated with Souss-Massa, around Agadir and Taroudant. Along the Atlantic coast, simple grilled fish is usually a better choice than an elaborate tourist menu. In Essaouira, look for fish, bread, salad and tea; in Taghazout, mix the surf-town cafes with local breakfasts, fish and simple Moroccan restaurants.
In some places you can find pumpkin seed amlou (I find them in a moroccan shop in Rennes, France, imported from morocco), my roommate told me it’s uncommon and more of a novelty targetting the trendy youth. Now you know.
Culinary argan oil is made for eating and has a toasted, nutty flavour. Cosmetic argan oil is processed for use on skin and hair. Check that the bottle is labelled for culinary use before buying it as food.
Meknes, olives and inland market food
Meknes markets are particularly useful for trying local ingredients. Olives vary from bitter green fruit to soft purple ones seasoned with chilli, herbs or preserved lemon. Taste before buying. Preserved lemons are strongly salty and sour cooking ingredients rather than fruit intended to be eaten whole. They go well with Houmus (Which is not maroccan, obviously). The markets are also useful for dates and dried fruit.
Meknes is also a practical stop for picnic food before Volubilis. Buy bread, olives, fruit and water before leaving the city; food options around the site are barely existing.
Northern mountain food around Chefchaouen
Bissara is puréed dried fava beans, served hot with olive oil, cumin and chilli. It is cheap, thick and well suited to a cold mountain morning. I found a nice, well-rated shop in the old town of Rabat (not really northern, I know). I forgot the name, unfortunately.
Northern goat cheese is fresh, white and mild. Keep it cool and eat it promptly.
For Akchour, bring water. Food is found every ten minutes of walk. Mostly tajines, not that expensive compared to the city, so it’s definetely worth a stop. After the hike, Chefchaouen’s bakeries and simple restaurants are enough.
Tangier cafes and northern snacks
Kalinti is a soft chickpea-flour bake sold by the slice, usually dusted with cumin and chilli. Its name comes from the Spanish caliente. The centre can look undercooked even when it is ready; the texture is closer to custard than bread. They are a very popular item in nearby Algeria, every algerian I know grew up with it. Apparently it’s only a thing in the very north of Morocco.
Tangier also works well for bakeries, juice shops and simple street food.
If you are taking the ferry to Spain, eat before going to the port unless you have plenty of time. A bakery stop, fruit and water make the ferry day easier, followed by a proper meal after arrival.
Southern road food
Desert tours often repeat bread, salad, tajine and couscous because those meals are easy to prepare for groups. Bring dates, almonds or a savoury snack if you want more variety. Soft dates bruise and leak, so keep them in a container away from electronics.
If you take a tour, they will take you to crazily expensive restaurants where quality is low. You can bring your own food. Defo bring snacks.
Around Ouarzazate, Skoura, Dadès, Todra and Merzouga, the reliable road food is simple: bread, dates, almonds, nuts, dried fruit and basic tajines. Buy supplies when you see a proper shop rather than relying on every isolated stop having a full menu.
Vegetarian and dietary notes
Vegetarian food is possible, but vegetable tajine may still contain meat stock or cooking fat, so ask clearly. Breakfasts, breads, soups, salads, olives and pastries are the easiest options.
If you avoid gluten, Morocco is harder: bread, msemen, couscous and pastries are everywhere. Rice, grilled fish, grilled meat, eggs and some tajines are easier options, although cross-contamination is common in small kitchens.
Food is usually halal, which is a nice plus, unless you would rather eat Jhatka meat.
What survives the journey home
Amlou travels only in a properly sealed jar. Ghriba and cornes de gazelle need a rigid box. Sellou withstands pressure but needs a tightly sealed bag or container. Dates travel well when they are firm and boxed; very soft varieties are easily crushed in a warm backpack. (In France, dates are so inexpensive (and sometimes grown locally) so, for my fellow frenchmen, don’t bother bringing this kind of dates.)
Source log
- Moroccan National Tourist Office - Food & Drinks: tanjia, rfissa, pastilla, ghriba, pastries, drinks and general dish background.
- Moroccan National Tourist Office - Gastronomy: regional cuisine context, spices, dishes and pastries.
- Moroccan National Tourist Office - Agadir-Taghazout shopping: argan products and regional shopping context.
