Culture: Food and Drink

Moroccan food

colourful plates of Moroccan food

Moroccan food reflects the complex history of the country and the different origins of its population. Cooking tends to be ‘women’s work’ in Morocco, except for the preparation of roasts and kebabs. They learn dishes handed down from their mothers and grandmothers, rather than from recipe books with precise measurements.

HOT TIP: There is little understanding of vegetarianism in Morocco, and even less of veganism. If you want a vegetable tagine or couscous, ask that it is not cooked in meat stock (French: ‘sauce de viande’). If you are vegan, also check that honey is not used.

Moroccan cuisine is delicious, flavoured with ‘warm’ spices (cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger) rather than ‘hot’ spices such as chilli. Typical dishes include:

  • salads
  • tagines (a slow-cooked stew, often with dried fruit as well as vegetables)
  • couscous (steamed semolina topped with stew)
  • pastilla (pigeon pie)
  • kebabs
  • mechoui (roast lamb, a great luxury)

Dessert is usually fresh fruit, or slices of orange dusted with sugar and cinnamon. There is also a delicious sweet dish of vermicelli dressed with buttermilk, icing sugar, cinnamon and ground peanuts or pistachios, called ‘sfaa’ in Berber.

HOT TIP: If you have celiac disease, use this explanation in Arabic to convey your dietary needs clearly to the chef.

Eating out in the mountain or desert areas typically costs around 100-150 Dirham per person (2009 prices) for a cooked meal with soft drinks and tea or coffee, but check prices at each establishment.