Mar 4, 20193 min read

Eating Your Way through Morocco: Top 7 Traditional Foods

Updated: May 6, 2020

If you want to “eat good”, then come to Morocco. A blend of #Arab and #French culture, Morocco's cuisine results in some delicious, yet unique dishes. As a traveling foodie, here are the top seven foods that you must try:

1. Briouate

Although commonly stuffed with ground beef (kefta), #briouate can be made into a sweet dish by stuffing it with almond or pistachios, hazelnuts and honey . Many restaurants will serve this small #Moroccanpastry stuff as an appetizer.

Recommendation: Restaurant Al Baraka. The restaurant makes it flavorful and crispy! The ambiance of the outside dining is an added bonus!

2. Pastilla au lait

When it was first presented to me, I was surprised by its size. However, as a person who has a big sweet tooth, I also knew that it was about to be simply amazing. #Pastillaaulait is basically fried phyllo dough stacked with a sweet milk that is poured over it. You can add flavor to the dessert by pouring savory sauces. YUM!

Recommendation: Restaurant Cafe La SQALA. The phyllo dough was extremely flaky. With the dripping sweet milk, everything just blends well in your mouth for quite the dessert experience. The restaurant itself is located inside of an old fortress and it helps that some of the staff speak some English.

3. Dates

There are hundreds of different types of #dates and Moroccans love using it in their dishes. Have you ever tried a dates milkshake? Although it was my first time, I would definitely have it again!

Recommendation: Cafe Clock for a dates milkshake. It is the only restaurant I have seen with this deliciously sweet concoction!

4. Couscous

A staple Moroccan dish made from tiny steamed balls of semolina flour that is traditionally served with a stew on top, Moroccans eat #couscous on Fridays as part of tradition and bringing the family together. There is even a special prayer for it. Many local restaurants only serve couscous on Fridays because it is so labor-intensive, involving a lot of ingredients and a lengthy preparation time. Although couscous itself is considered to be a type of pasta, it is often prepared as a grain.

Recommendation: Go to a couscous cooking demonstration and eat at Restaurant Al Baraka. At this restaurant, we got to learn firsthand the history and process of making couscous and walked away with a recipe. The restaurant served us plentiful amounts of food family style, especially the couscous.

5. Tagine

The first thing that I was told to try in Morocco was #tagine. Named after the cone-shaped pot made of ceramic or unglazed clay it is cooked in, this is probably the quintessential local dish -- more so than couscous, but not by much. You can find it at every restaurant you go to.

Tagine is a stew made with meat and vegetables, along with spices, oil, and water that is often eaten with bread. You can get it in different flavors: beef, lamb or vegetable. I opted for beef every time I ate it in Morocco.

Recommendation: Lotus Privilege. The meat in the tangine is tender! You also get to experience a more upscale, multiple course meal with belly-dancing as entertainment.

6. Mint Tea

Mint tea in Morocco has a major significance because it is an integral part of the culture (viewed as a sign of hospitality). You will be offered #minttea wherever you go, be it at a restaurant or carpet shopping. Many of the Moroccan tea kettles are metal. As a result, there is usually a handle mitt used to hold it.

Very often, the tea is poured, from high above, into small glasses. Although it appears to be for show and it's impressive that the tea doesn’t spill all over the table, many believe that it is to introduce air into the tea (for better taste).

Recommendation: You can try mint tea at any restaurant!

7. Oranges

It was not until I was recently watching "Guy's Grocery Games" that I learned that tangerines are named after the region it originates from, Tangier in Morocco. #Oranges are plentiful in Morocco and while you would think it would lose its quality, they are all super sweet and juicy!