Food In Marrakech.

For all foodies out there, Marrakech is a culinary delight.

The streets of Marrakech are abundant with fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruit.

There are herbs and spices galore everywhere you look.

The aromatic fragrance of street food that fills the air, tempts the tastebuds.

Fine restaurants known for their impeccable service, with beautifully decadent surroundings, call out to you to come inside and sample their cuisine.

But where do you start?

What do you order?

If you’re anything like me, you may want to fully immerse yourself in the culture of a place you’re visiting.

I particularly enjoy sampling the signature dishes of places  I visit and eating the same food that the locals do.

It’s a way to get to know the culture, and food is a big part of life in Morrocco.

Moroccan people are known for their hospitality and often invite tourists home for a meal with their family.

If you get the chance to go, it’s the best way to gain an understanding of the people and their culture.

So,with an overwhelming choice of food to choose from, you may need a little help deciding what to try..

The two most popular dishes in Marrakesh are tagine and couscous.

Tagine is the name of the clay or ceramic pot that the dish is cooked in.

It consists of layers of fresh vegetables,with meat in the centre.

Chicken or lamb is the most popular.

Dates, olives, preserved lemon, and spices such as the Moroccan spice blend ras el hanout are added for flavour, and everyone has their own personal recipe for making a tagine.

Couscous is a grain made from semolina and served with meat and vegetables.

It is eaten religiously on Fridays.

In Jamaa El Fna, you will find sheeps head and snails for sale.

Tourists are encouraged by street food vendors to try snails, and those who actually do have said that they quite enjoyed the experience.

Apparently, the broth that they’re cooked in tastes of aniseed, and although it’s an unusual tasting dish, it’s not inedible.

Sheeps head is for the brave amongst us. It’s a regular sight on display in the main square during the evening.

The locals sit at the street stalls amongst the tourists eagerly munching on spit roasted mutton, savouring every morsel.

Every dish is served with traditional bread in Marrakech. It is freshly baked each morning and delicious served warm.

Tangia is also a popular dish.

It is meat (usually lamb), cooked very slowly in the embers of the local hammam.

Traditionally, the tangia is taken to the hammam early in the morning and left to cook throughout the day.

It is then collected and served for dinner with vegetables or bread.

The meat is incredibly tender and simply falls off the bone.

There are plenty of street food vendors in the medina, tucked away in the souks.

They serve really good quality food and it’s cheap.

Ideal for travellers on a tighter budget.

There is a row of vendors who only sell tangias, and this is very popular with locals and tourists alike.

The area gets very busy with tourists queueing for a vessel of succulent lamb that is tipped out onto a plate ready for devouring.

Taking a street food tour is a great way to get to try all the best places for traditional local food.

There are several tours available during the daytime and evening, and tourists get the chance to sample authentic Moroccan cuisine with a registered guide.

Spleen sandwich is something that you may be introduced to during a tour.

Marrakech also caters to people who are vegetarians and vegans, with a good choice of quality food, including excellent salads, delicious vegetable tagine, pastilla, and couscous.

Pigeon is also widely eaten in Marrakech and traditionally used as a filling in pastilla.

Then there are the camel burgers, popular at The Clock restaurant in the kasbah.

Several Italian restaurants in the medina offer excellent pizzas and pasta dishes if you fancy a change from morroccan food.

Olives are served with tea and other beverages as a complimentary side dish.

They can be spicy or plain, always fresh, and the perfect aperitif.

They are deliciously fresh when bought straight from the vendors themselves.

Don’t hesitate to try some. They are truly amazing.

The sweets and pastries in Marrakech are incredibly good, and the desserts served after the main course of a meal are beautiful.

Moroccans have a sweet tooth as you will probably gather from the breakfast you will have been served in your accommodation.

The choice on most menus is really creative and varied.

There’s no point watching your waistline in Marrakech..

Dates are a hugely popular snack, and medjool dates are known as ‘The King of Dates’, so make sure to try some.

You won’t be disappointed with the soft caramaly taste.

Fresh fruit is for sale everywhere around the medina and incorporated into tantalising sweet dishes and refreshing smoothies that make your mouth water.

I have written a separate article about smoothies and juices in Marrakesh.

Marrakech is a dream come true for people who love their food.

With so much to choose from and so many different dishes and flavours to try, you would need months to eat your way through it all.

Not only is there a great variety of interesting, tasty food, but it’s beautifully presented too.

Imagine sitting in a tranquil,  setting, next to exotic plants, and trickling fountains, or on top of a rooftop, watching the sunset.

Those are my most memorable experiences of eating in Marrakesh.

The way to get to know people and their culture is through their food.

Marrakech is no exception.

Be open to getting out of your comfort zone and give some of the traditional Moroccan dishes a go.