Africa · Traditional

Moroccan cuisine

Heavily spiced tagines, couscous, and mint tea.

Explore recipes Build a Moroccan menu Wine pairings

Food history

Why Moroccan cuisine is worth exploring

Moroccan food tells the story of geography, trade, agriculture and family cooking. The cuisine has been shaped by the ingredients people could grow, preserve, carry and share, as well as by markets, festivals, migration and regional identity.

Why it is famous

Moroccan cuisine is famous for dishes that feel strongly connected to place: everyday family recipes, celebration food, regional specialities and ingredients that give the cooking its recognisable character.

Regional food story

Moroccan cuisine is not one single style. Treat the country page as a gateway into regional dishes, local ingredients, family recipes and occasion-led cooking.

How to cook it

Flavours, ingredients and menu ideas

Signature ingredients

Look for the ingredients that define Moroccan cooking: staple grains or breads, seasonal vegetables, local herbs and spices, regional cheeses or dairy where relevant, preserved foods, seafood or meat traditions, and sweets linked to festivals or family gatherings.

Cooking style

The cooking style ranges from simple home dishes to more elaborate food for celebrations. Good Moroccan recipes usually balance staple ingredients with texture, seasoning and a clear sense of occasion.

Build a menu

Build a Moroccan menu by choosing a light starter, a signature main and a dessert that shows the country’s baking or sweet traditions. Add wine or drink pairings where the dish has enough richness, spice, acidity or sweetness to make the match useful.

Starters Mains Desserts

Cook by course

Moroccan recipes

Start with a starter, choose a main, then finish with a dessert to build a complete country-inspired menu.

Starters

Moroccan starters

Moroccan Tomato and Onion Salad

Fresh chopped tomato, onion, cucumber, parsley, cumin, lemon and olive oil served as a cooling Moroccan…

Starter 15 mins

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Tender carrots dressed with cumin, garlic, lemon, olive oil, parsley and a touch of paprika.

Starter 30 mins

Taktouka

Charred Moroccan pepper and tomato salad with garlic, cumin, paprika, herbs and olive oil.

Starter 45 mins

Maakouda

Moroccan potato cakes flavoured with cumin, turmeric, parsley and coriander, shallow-fried until crisp.

Starter 50 mins

Zaalouk

Smoky Moroccan aubergine and tomato salad cooked down with garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander and olive o…

Starter 55 mins

Kefta Briouats

Crisp Moroccan pastry triangles filled with spiced minced beef, onion, parsley, cinnamon and egg.

Starter 1 hr

Bissara

Rustic Moroccan split broad bean soup finished with cumin, paprika and olive oil.

Starter 1 hr 20 mins

Harira

Moroccan tomato, lentil and chickpea soup scented with ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander and parsley.

Starter 1 hr 40 mins

Main courses

Moroccan main courses

Boulfaf

Moroccan grilled liver skewers wrapped in caul fat, seasoned with cumin, paprika and salt.

Main 37 mins

Moroccan Stuffed Sardines

Butterflied sardines filled with chermoula, lightly floured and fried until crisp.

Main 50 mins

Kefta Mkaouara

Moroccan meatball tagine simmered in tomato sauce with cumin, paprika, parsley, coriander and eggs.

Main 1 hr

Sardine Kefta Tagine

Fresh sardine meatballs simmered in chermoula tomato sauce with peppers and olives.

Main 1 hr 10 mins

Fish Tagine with Chermoula

Moroccan fish tagine with chermoula, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, olives and preserved lemon.

Main 1 hr 15 mins

Berber Vegetable Tagine

Layered vegetable tagine with potatoes, carrots, courgettes, tomatoes, chickpeas, cumin, turmeric and ol…

Main 1 hr 40 mins

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives

The iconic Moroccan chicken tagine slowly cooked with onions, saffron, ginger, preserved lemon and green…

Main 1 hr 40 mins

Loubia

Moroccan white bean stew with tomatoes, garlic, cumin, paprika, olive oil and coriander.

Main 1 hr 45 mins

Djaj Mqualli

Traditional Moroccan chicken cooked with onions, ginger, saffron, turmeric and herbs until the sauce bec…

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Seffa Medfouna

Steamed vermicelli or couscous hiding saffron chicken, finished with cinnamon, icing sugar and almonds.

Main 2 hr

Couscous with Seven Vegetables

Friday-style Moroccan couscous steamed over a broth of lamb, chickpeas, pumpkin, cabbage, courgette, car…

Main 2 hr 10 mins

Couscous Tfaya

Steamed couscous topped with chicken, caramelised onions, raisins, cinnamon and chickpeas.

Main 2 hr 20 mins

Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds

Sweet-savoury lamb tagine with prunes, cinnamon, ginger, saffron, honey, sesame and fried almonds.

Main 2 hr 25 mins

Chicken Pastilla

Festive Moroccan pie of spiced chicken, eggs, almonds, cinnamon and crisp pastry dusted with sugar.

Main 2 hr 30 mins

Rfissa

Shredded msemen or trid topped with chicken, lentils, onions, fenugreek and ras el hanout broth.

Main 2 hr 45 mins

Mrouzia

Eid-style lamb tagine with ras el hanout, honey, raisins, almonds and long slow cooking.

Main 3 hr 25 mins

Tangia Marrakchia

Marrakech-style slow-cooked beef or lamb with preserved lemon, garlic, cumin, saffron and smen.

Main 4 hr 20 mins

Mechoui

Slow-roasted Moroccan lamb shoulder rubbed with smen or butter, cumin, garlic and salt until meltingly t…

Main 4 hr 25 mins

Desserts

Moroccan desserts

Baghrir

Thousand-hole Moroccan semolina pancakes served with melted butter and honey.

Dessert 40 mins

Sfenj

Moroccan yeasted doughnuts fried until airy and golden, served plain or dusted with sugar.

Dessert 50 mins

Sellou

Toasted flour, almonds, sesame, honey, cinnamon and anise mixed into a rich Moroccan celebration sweet.

Dessert 55 mins

Almond Briouats with Honey

Crisp Moroccan pastry triangles filled with almond, cinnamon and orange blossom, fried and dipped in hon…

Dessert 1 hr 10 mins

Msemen with Honey

Layered Moroccan square pancakes cooked on a griddle and served with honey and butter.

Dessert 1 hr 10 mins

Kaab el Ghazal

Delicate crescent pastries filled with almond paste and orange blossom water.

Dessert 1 hr 18 mins

M'hanncha

Coiled Moroccan almond pastry scented with cinnamon and orange blossom water.

Dessert 1 hr 20 mins

Chebakia

Flower-shaped Moroccan sesame pastries fried until crisp, soaked in honey and sprinkled with sesame.

Dessert 1 hr 45 mins

Wine and drink pairings

What to drink with Moroccan food

When pairing wine with Moroccan food, match the structure of the dish first: fresh whites for seafood and herbs, medium reds for tomato, spice or roast meat, sparkling wines for fried or salty starters, and sweet or fortified wines for desserts.

Red

Beaujolais / Gamay

Juicy light red with cherry, raspberry and low tannin. Excellent slightly chilled with charcuterie, poultry, pâté, saus…

Grape: Gamay Region: Beaujolais, Loire, Switzerland

Red

Chianti / Sangiovese

Savoury, high-acid Italian red with cherry, dried herbs and firm but food-friendly tannins. Built for tomato, olive oil…

Grape: Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino Region: Tuscany, Umbria, Emilia-Romagna

Red

Côtes du Rhône / GSM Blend

Southern Rhône-style blend with dark fruit, herbs, pepper and moderate tannin. Reliable with stews, roast meat, beans a…

Grape: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre Region: Rhône, Languedoc, Australia

Red

Douro Red

Structured Portuguese red with dark fruit, spice and firm tannin. Excellent with Francesinha, roast pork, beef, smoky d…

Grape: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Alicant… Region: Douro Valley, Dão, Alentejo

Red

Pinot Noir / Burgundy

Elegant red with red cherry, earth, spice and fine tannins. Great with duck, mushroom, poultry, pork and lighter beef d…

Grape: Pinot Noir, Spätburgunder Region: Burgundy, Oregon, Central Otago, Baden

Red

Rioja / Tempranillo

Spanish red with red fruit, vanilla, leather and spice. Good with garlic chicken, lamb, roast meat, paprika and grilled…

Grape: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano Region: Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Navarra

Red

Syrah / Shiraz

Peppery, dark-fruited red with savoury spice and medium-to-firm tannins. Great with grilled meat, pepper, smoke, sausag…

Grape: Syrah, Shiraz Region: Northern Rhône, Barossa, South Africa

White

Albariño / Vinho Verde

Fresh coastal white wine with citrus, peach, sea-spray minerality and bright acidity. Excellent with seafood, salt cod…

Grape: Albariño, Alvarinho, Loureiro, Arinto Region: Rías Baixas, Minho, Vinho Verde

Local beers

Moroccan beers

Wine can lead the meal, but local beer tells another story: what people drink in bars, restaurants and shops alongside everyday food.

Explore local beers

Casablanca Beer

Lager 5% ABV

Société des Brasseries du Maroc

Morocco’s best-known local premium beer, often found in hotels and restaurants.

Flag Spéciale

Lager 5.2% ABV

Société des Brasseries du Maroc

A familiar Moroccan lager sold across the country.

Stork

Lager 4.5% ABV

Société des Brasseries du Maroc

A long-running Moroccan lager with broad local recognition.

Flag Pils

Pilsner 5% ABV

Société des Brasseries du Maroc

A lighter Moroccan pilsner-style beer from the Flag range.

33 Export Morocco

Lager 5% ABV

Société des Brasseries du Maroc

A widely seen lager brand in Morocco, often sold in shops and bars.