A look at popular food choices in Marrakech.
The famous red city is a culinary delight for foodies. The streets are abundant with fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruit. There are herbs and spices galore in colourful barrels everywhere you look. The fragrance of street food fills the air, tempting your tastebuds. Restaurants with decadent surroundings call out to you to sample their cuisine.
But where do you start and what should you order?
Like me, you may want to fully immerse yourself in the culture of a country you’re visiting. I enjoy sampling the signature dishes of places I visit and eating the food that the locals do. It’s the best 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 do it. It’s a way to understand the people and their culture. Plus, there’s nothing better than traditional food homecooked by a local family.
So,with an overwhelming choice of food to choose from, you may need a little help deciding what to try. I’ve put together a few ideas for you to choose from.
The two most popular dishes in Marrakesh are tagine and couscous.Tagine is the name of the clay 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 meat used. Dates, olives, preserved lemon, and spices such as the Moroccan spice blend ras el hanout are added to give the tagine flavour. Everyone has their own personal recipe for making a tagine, and they differ in each restaurant. However, they all use the same principle of layering the vegetables into a pyramid around the meat.
Couscous is a grain made from semolina and served with meat and vegetables. It is eaten religiously on Fridays and a staple dish in Morocco and other North African countries. Couscous is finely textured and often served with harissa sauce to make the consistency less dry.
In Jamaa El Fna, you will find sheeps head and snails. Tourists are encouraged by street food vendors to try a dish of snails, and those who do have said that they quite enjoyed the experience. Apparently, the broth that they’re cooked in tastes of aniseed, and although an unusual tasting dish, it’s not inedible. Many tourists actually liked them.
Sheeps head is for the brave amongst us. It’s a regular sight on display in the main square during the evening. Locals sit at stalls alongside tourists next to the charcoaled heads eating spit roasted mutton and sausages. The open-air restaurants are very popular, and the aroma of food can be smelt all around the main square.
In Marrakech, each meal is served with traditional bread. It is freshly baked every morning in communal ovens called Ferrans. Khobz is a traditional round crusty flatbread and used in place of cutlery to scoop up the food.
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 is a row of street vendors dedicated to selling tangias in the medina. This is very popular with locals and tourists alike. The area gets very busy with people queueing for a vessel of succulent lamb or beef.
There are plenty of street food vendors tucked away in the souks. They sell really good quality food and it’s cheap. Ideal for travellers on a tighter budget. Taking a street food tour is a great way to try all the best places serving traditional local food. There are several tours available during the daytime or evening. Tourists get the chance to sample authentic Moroccan cuisine with a registered guide. Delicacies like the spleen sandwich and Tripe are something that you may be introduced to during a street food tour. Remember to go with an empty stomach because there’s so much food to get through.
Marrakech also caters to people who are vegetarians and vegans. There is a good choice of food, including salad,vegetable tagine, pastilla, and couscous. Most dishes can be adapted for people who don’t eat meat. There are a few excellent vegetarian restaurants in the medina, and more are opening as tourism grows.
Pigeon is also eaten in Marrakech and traditionally used for the filling in Pastilla. There are camel burgers available at The Clock restaurant in the kasbah if you want to try something different.
Italian restaurants in the medina offer excellent pizzas and pasta dishes if you fancy a change from morroccan food. I recommend Pepe Nero or Limoni Italian Restaurant.
Olives are served with most beverages as a complimentary side dish in Marrakech. They are either lightly spiced or plain. They are really fresh when you buy them straight off the vendors in the souks. Don’t hesitate to try some. They are delicious.
The sweets and pastries in Marrakech are really good. Baclava is a traditional sweet and popular with the tourists. Moroccans have a sweet tooth as you will gather from the breakfasts high in carbohydrates and cakes. The choice of deserts on the menu in restaurants is really creative. There’s no point watching your waistline in Marrakech.
Dates are a hugely popular snack in Marrakech, and medjool dates known as ‘The King of Dates’ are widely available around the medina. Make sure to try some. You won’t be disappointed with the soft caramaly taste.
Fresh fruit is sold everywhere in Marrakesh. It’s used in tantalising sweet dishes and refreshing smoothies that make your mouth water. Sugarcane and pomegranate juice is a favourite of mine and only costs a few dirhams.
Marrakech is a dream come true for people who love their food. With so much to choose from, you would need months to eat your way through it all. Not only is there a great variety, but it’s beautifully presented too. Imagine sitting in a tranquil setting next to exotic plants, with the sound of birds and trickling fountains. Or on a rooftop terrace at dusk watching the sunset as you tuck into a plate of delicious food. Those are memorable experiences of eating in Marrakesh.
Be open to getting out of your comfort zone and give some of the traditional Moroccan dishes a go. You may be pleasantly surprised. If you’re not adventurous, many restaurants serve European, Mediterranean cuisine. The choice is endless.
The Sound Of The Souks 