Top 10 Must-Try Dishes of Morocco

Are you visiting the land of the "distant sunset" and looking for new flavors? You've come to the right place, as Moroccan cuisine is ranked as the 2nd best gastronomy in the world. Here's a little top list of must-tries that you absolutely shouldn't miss! Are you ready to discover new flavors while your mouth waters?

The best dishes of Morocco!

1. Harira

As soon as you step off the plane, stop at a restaurant and order Harira, a traditional Moroccan soup. Usually consumed after breaking the fast during Ramadan, it's a very nutritious and filling dish. You'll find tomatoes, meat, vegetables and onions in it, but if you wish, you can add hard-boiled eggs.

2. Tajine

And yes, a great classic of Moroccan cuisine! The name actually comes from the container in which it is served, whose shape is unique. You can taste it in a thousand and one versions, as the way to prepare it is rich and varied, but many love to enjoy it with vegetables, lamb meat and fish... Not to mention the enchanting spices! Among the condiments used, we notably find coriander, cumin, cloves, turmeric, paprika... This savory blend of traditional spices makes all the originality of the dish.

Traditional Moroccan Tajine of Chicken with Salted Lemons, Olives, Top

3. Zlabia

If you walk through the Moroccan streets, it's very likely that you'll come across this confection that, it must be said, catches the eye. This bewitching color, translucent orange, similar to a sunset, happens to be sweet and crunchy. It constitutes one of the sweets of Ramadan, and has become in a few years one of the must-try delicacies not to be missed.

4. Mrouzia

It's one of the oldest dishes in Moroccan cuisine. Often served on ceremonial days, it's also found during the feast of the sheep. What makes it original? It perfectly combines sweet and savory, with tones of honey, almonds and spices. Generally served with semolina or couscous, Mrouzia is also eaten with lamb and vegetables. Enough to delight your taste buds and satisfy your palate.

5. Chebakia

We're back with a bit of sweetness, as it's time to talk about Chebakia! Sink your teeth into this pastry that's both crunchy and melting and you'll dive into an explosion of perfumed flavors. With their particular rosette shape, the confection means "little window", and refers to Moroccan windows whose shape is similar. Made from sesame seeds, cinnamon, orange blossom and anise, it's fried and coated with a layer of honey.

6. Mint Tea

Called "Atay" in Arabic, green tea is known around the world for being an enchanting beverage. This simple and refined drink is served at the end of meals and can be drunk with a hint of orange blossom or cinnamon. It pairs very well with the confections mentioned above!

7. Baghrir

In France, we have crepes, and in Morocco there are "thousand-hole crepes", more commonly called "Baghrir". Originally from North Africa, they have the particularity of being cooked only on one side, hence the small holes that form during cooking. Prepared with semolina, flour, and yeast, it's a perfect dish for breakfast or snack time. Soft, light and melting, you'll have the impression of tasting a pancake... But with an oriental aftertaste in your mouth!

8. Zaalouk

Do you like grilled eggplant? Then you'll be very happy to taste zaalouk, as it's the main ingredient of this dish. Add tomatoes, peppers, olive oil, spices and aromatic herbs, and you'll get a Moroccan eggplant caviar! Rich in fiber, the salad is usually eaten with a few slices of bread.

9. Rfissa

It's precisely near the Casablanca region that this recipe was born. This unique dish made with crepe, thin sheets of yellow bread accompanied by chicken meat, is consumed hot and deliciously. With a good spicy sauce made with chickpeas, turmeric, saffron and lentils, it's a particularly nutritious dish, regularly served to mothers who have given birth, to give them strength.

10. Tanjia

Destination Marrakech to taste the best tanjia of your life! A dish generally prepared by men with veal marinated in a cocktail of spices like turmeric, garlic, cumin... It's prepared in an earthenware pot called precisely "tangia". Its particularity? It's left for almost 4 hours on the embers of a wood-fired oven of a typically Moroccan hammam. Needless to say that when the time for tasting finally arrives, you're famished!

Has this quick culinary tour of Morocco convinced you? You're now ready for a journey full of flavors! Some of the specialties vary depending on the regions where you decide to unpack your suitcase, but it's certain that this is one of the most fragrant and memorable cuisines in the world.