Quick answer: Must-try Moroccan food includes tajine (slow-cooked stew), Friday couscous, pastilla (sweet-savoury pie), harira soup, Marrakech tanjia, grilled kefta, msemen pancakes, zaalouk and taktouka salads, fresh orange juice and sweet mint tea. Eat where locals queue, and try at least one home-style meal.
Moroccan food blends Amazigh, Arab, Andalusian and French influences into one of the world’s great cuisines: spices without heat, sweet and savoury together, and long, slow cooking. Here are the dishes our team recommends.
Main dishes
- Tajine – named after the clay pot. Try chicken with preserved lemon and olives, beef with prunes and almonds, or kefta with eggs.
- Couscous – traditionally eaten on Fridays, with seven vegetables or with caramelised onions and raisins (tfaya).
- Pastilla – a flaky pie with pigeon or chicken, almonds, cinnamon and sugar; seafood versions too. A Fes speciality.
- Tanjia – Marrakech’s bachelor stew, cooked for hours in the ashes of the hammam furnace.
- Mechoui – slow-roasted lamb, found near Jemaa el-Fna.
- Rfissa – shredded msemen with chicken, lentils and fenugreek.
- Seffa – sweet vermicelli or couscous with cinnamon, often at weddings.
Soups and salads
- Harira – tomato, lentil and chickpea soup, famous during Ramadan.
- Bissara – fava bean soup with olive oil and cumin, popular in the north.
- Zaalouk and taktouka – cooked aubergine and pepper salads eaten with bread.
Street food and breakfast
- Msemen and baghrir – square flaky pancakes and “thousand-hole” semolina pancakes with honey and butter.
- Kefta and brochettes – grilled meat skewers.
- Snail soup – for the adventurous, at Jemaa el-Fna.
Drinks and sweets
- Mint tea – “Berber whisky”, poured from high above the glass.
- Chebakia and gazelle horns – honey and almond pastries.
Where to taste Moroccan food
- The food stalls of Jemaa el-Fna at night.
- A family lunch in a Berber village during a day trip.
- A dinner in the Agafay Desert or the famous Chez Ali fantasia show.
- A cooking class in a riad.
Food etiquette
- Eat with your right hand, using bread as a spoon.
- Refusing tea can seem impolite – accept at least one glass.
- Alcohol is available in licensed restaurants and hotels only.
More culture in Berber culture in Morocco and Morocco travel tips.
Tours related to this guide
- Dinner In The Agafay Desert With Sunset Camel Ride
- Chez Ali The Arab Horse Fantasy
- Private Guided Tour Of Marrakech – Discover The Imperial City
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Frequently asked questions
What is the national dish of Morocco?
Couscous is considered the national dish, traditionally eaten on Fridays. Tajine is the most common everyday dish.
Is Moroccan food spicy?
Moroccan food is aromatic rather than hot. Cumin, cinnamon, saffron and ginger are common; chilli is usually served on the side as harissa.
Is Moroccan food good for vegetarians?
Yes. Vegetable tajines, couscous with seven vegetables, zaalouk, bissara and harira without meat are easy to find.
What should I eat in Marrakech?
Try tanjia, mechoui near Jemaa el-Fna, a lemon chicken tajine, fresh orange juice and mint tea.
Written by the Todo Marruecos Tours travel team, local tour operators based in Morocco. Last updated: September 2026.