A visit to Marrakech is not complete until you’ve sampled at least a few of the delicious, traditional Moroccan dishes served all over the Ochre City. Here are some of our favourites:
B’ssara – the first of our must-try Moroccan dishes is B’ssara, a rich soup made from dried broad beans. Traditionally a breakfast dish, this scrumptious soup is usually topped with a sprinkling of cumin, plus a swirl of olive oil, and served with oven-fresh bread.
Tagines – the tagine, a clay cooking pot with a conical lid, lends its name to a multitude of simply delicious traditional dishes (chicken, lamb, beef, fish and vegetable) as popular at top-notch restaurants as roadside cafes.
Chermoula – bordered by the Atlantic ocean to the west and the Mediterranean to the north, Morocco has a wonderful range of mouth-watering fish dishes. One of these is Chermoula, a tasty marinade of spices and herbs, also used as a sauce into which fish is dipped before being grilled over hot coals.
Harira Soup – traditionally a breakfast dish, especially during Ramadan, harira is a soup rich with chickpeas, lentils, tomatoes and lamb or chicken stock. Finished off to yummy perfection with a little coriander and a dash of lemon juice, this wonderful soup is usually served with a chebakkiya, a kind of sweet, sticky pretzel.
Makouda – street food in Marrakech is legendary, especially when served from stalls on the Place Jemaa el Fna, and Makouda, small deep-fried balls of potato dipped in a spicy harissa sauce, is one of the tastiest.
Zaalouk – seasoned with cumin, garlic, paprika and a pinch of chilli powder, Zaalouk is a delicious smoked aubergine dip perfect with bread and as an accompaniment to vegetable dishes.