North Africa
Morocco
Tagine, couscous and ras el hanout: the most decorated table in Africa.
Staples
- Ksouksou (steamed durum semolina grains)
- Khobz (round hearth-baked crusty bread)
- Bissara / Foul (dried peeled fava beans)
- Homs (dried chickpeas for tagines and harira)
- Warqa (paper-thin laminated pastry leaves)
Seasonings
- Ras el Hanout (complex aromatic spice master-blend)
- Smen (pungent, aged fermented salted butter)
- L'hamd Marakad (salt-cured preserved Beldi lemons)
- Chermoula (fresh coriander, garlic, cumin, and paprika paste)
- Za'afrane Hor (indigenous Taliouine saffron threads)
Techniques
- Slow-simmering meats inside conical earthenware tagines
- Steam-aerating semolina over spiced simmering broth
- Baking whole spiced lamb in underground clay pits
- Layering savory meats inside delicate warqa pastry
At the table
Meals are prepared daily by the household women and eaten communally from a single central ceramic dish using warm wedges of crusty khobz instead of cutlery. While coastal hubs like Safi focus on charcoal-grilled sardines dressed with piquant chermoula, the imperial tables of Fes feature elaborate sweet-savory braises and pigeon pastilla dusted with cinnamon.
32 recipes across 7 courses
Ask AI for moreBreakfast
Baghrir (Semolina Honeycomb Thousand-Hole Pancakes)
Lacy, spongy semolina pancakes riddled with delicate honeycomb bubbles, saturated in warm orange blossom honey and melted butter.
Khlea (Spiced Dried Beef Preserved in Tallow)
Succulent strips of cured, sun-dried beef gently confited in spiced tallow and olive oil, delivering deep savory richness.
Msemen (Flaky Laminated Moroccan Square Flatbreads)
Golden, multi-layered square semolina flatbreads with a crisp exterior and chewy, laminated honeycomb interior.
Soup
Bissara (Fava Bean Soup with Cumin and Olive Oil)
A velvety northern Moroccan soup of dried split fava beans pureed with garlic, cumin, and generous streams of cold-pressed olive oil.
Harira (Classic Moroccan Tomato, Lentil, and Chickpea Soup)
A velvety, herb-loaded tomato soup studded with tender beef, chickpeas, and lentils, thickened with spiced tadouira.
Hsoua d'Smida (Fine Semolina Soup with Wild Thyme and Milk)
A soothing, velvet-textured Berber semolina soup perfumed with mountain thyme, bruised anise seeds, rich olive oil, and warmed whole milk.
Main
Bastilla bil Djaj (Moroccan Spiced Chicken and Almond Pie)
Crispy layers of warqa pastry encasing shredded saffron chicken, caramelized onion-egg reduction, and toasted cinnamon-orange almonds.
Berkoukes (Large Hand-Rolled Semolina Pearls in Spicy Tomato Broth)
Plump semolina pearls simmered in a robust, spiced tomato and fenugreek broth enriched with tender lamb and chickpeas.
Djaj Msharmal (Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives)
Tender chicken braised with pungent preserved lemon, crushed garlic, fragrant saffron, and violet meslalla olives in a silky sauce.
Kseksou Seb'a Khodari (Seven-Vegetable Couscous with Beef)
Fluffy triple-steamed semolina grains crowned with tender braised beef shank and a rich array of seven aromatic vegetables.
Loubia (Moroccan White Bean Stew in Spiced Tomato Sauce)
A velvety, deeply aromatic white bean stew simmered gently in a fragrant cumin, garlic, and grated tomato reduction.
Méchoui (Whole Pit-Roasted Spiced Lamb)
Succulent, fall-off-the-bone slow-roasted lamb rubbed with spiced butter, garlic, and cumin under a glistening, amber-brown crust.
Medfouna (Stuffed Berber Flatbread with Spiced Minced Meat and Suet)
Renowned as 'Berber pizza', this crisp desert flatbread encases a spiced filling of minced beef, rendered suet, almonds, and hard-boiled eggs.
Pastilla bil Hout (Spiced Seafood and Vermicelli Filo Pie)
An opulent Moroccan savory pie layered with spiced white fish, calamari, shrimp, and vermicelli encased in crackling warqa.
Tagine d'Hout bil Khodra (Baked Spiced Fish and Vegetable Tagine)
Firm sea fish baked over seasoned carrot ribbons and potatoes in a fragrant chermoula marinade under a vibrant dome of peppers and preserved lemon.
Tagine de Poulet aux Citrons Confits et Olives (Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon & Olives)
Succulent chicken gently braised with saffron, ginger, purple olives, and the tangy brine of cured Beldi lemons.
Tagine Lham bil Barkouk (Lamb Tagine with Caramelized Prunes and Almonds)
Tender bone-in lamb slow-simmered in saffron and ginger, topped with honey-poached prunes, fried almonds, and toasted sesame seeds.
Tanjia Marrakchia (Slow-Cooked Clay Urn Spiced Meat Stew)
Meltingly tender beef shank braised slowly in an unglazed clay amphora with preserved lemon, aged smen, cumin, and saffron.
Side
Chermoula (Fresh Herb, Garlic, Paprika, and Lemon Marinade)
An intensely fragrant, zesty Moroccan herb and spice paste loaded with fresh coriander, garlic, cumin, and lemon juice.
Khobz (Traditional Round Crusty Hearth Bread)
Classic Moroccan disc loaf with a golden semolina crust, dense crumb, and subtle anise aroma, perfect for dipping into tagines.
Khyar bil Ma Zhar (Grated Cucumber Salad with Orange Blossom Water)
Chilled finely grated cucumbers steeped with fragrant orange blossom water, fresh lemon, and a subtle dusting of sweet cinnamon.
Ras el Hanout (Complex Multi-Spice Blend)
A masterfully balanced, golden-hued Moroccan spice blend boasting warm, floral, earthy, and pungent aromatic notes.
Tafarnout (Amazigh Flatbread Baked Over River Stones)
Crusty, dimpled sourdough flatbread baked directly over scorching smooth river stones inside traditional earthen ovens of the Anti-Atlas.
Taktouka (Cooked Sweet Pepper and Tomato Relish)
A smoky and zesty Moroccan cooked salad of charred bell peppers and crushed tomatoes infused with garlic, cumin, and olive oil.
Zaalouk (Warm Smoky Eggplant and Tomato Salad)
Charred eggplant and ripe tomatoes mashed into a rich, silken cooked salad flavored with cumin, sweet paprika, and garlic.
Dessert
Jawhara (Crisp Wafers Layered with Sweet Almond Milk Custard)
Crisp, golden warqa pastry rounds layered with a velvety orange-blossom milk custard and topped with toasted crushed almonds.
Kaab el Ghazal (Crescent Almond Pastries Scented with Orange Blossom)
Delicate, translucent crescent pastries encasing aromatic almond paste perfumed with orange blossom water and mastic gum.
Sellou (Toasted Flour, Almond, and Sesame Confection)
A nutritious, nutty Moroccan crumble confection enriched with deep-toasted flour, browned almonds, sesame, and pure honey.
Drink
Atay bi Naa-Naa (Gunpowder Green Tea with Fresh Spearmint)
A ritualistic, frothy infusion of gunpowder green tea, bruised spearmint, and sugar poured from high to create the crowning rezza foam.
Raib (Traditional Sweetened Fermented Curd Milk)
Velvety, spoonable fermented curd scented with orange blossom water, traditionally cultured in clay vessels across Moroccan mahlabas.
Street food
Babbouche (Herbal Broth-Stewed Land Snails)
Tender wild land snails simmered in an intensely aromatic, therapeutic broth infused with bitter orange peel, wild thyme, licorice root, and caraway.
Sfenj (Light Crispy Ring Doughnuts)
Golden, airy Moroccan yeast doughnuts featuring a blistered, crisp crust and an irresistibly chewy, sponge-like interior.