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Fès
A thick tomato and lentil soup that breaks the fast during Ramadan.
Harira is made with tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, celery, onion, and fresh coriander, simmered until thick. It is often finished with a swirl of beaten egg and served with lemon wedges. Moroccans eat it daily during Ramadan to break the fast, and it is also a popular starter at other times.
Squeeze fresh lemon over it and eat with dates and chebakia for a traditional Ramadan iftar.
Tangier
A creamy fava bean soup often eaten for breakfast.
Dried split fava beans are cooked until soft, then blended with garlic, olive oil, and cumin. It is served hot in a bowl, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika and cumin. In northern Morocco, it is a common breakfast or light dinner, scooped up with crusty bread.
Ask for it with a sprinkle of cumin and a side of bread for dipping.
Marrakech
A slow-cooked lamb stew with sweet prunes and almonds.
Lamb is browned and then simmered with onions, saffron, ginger, and cinnamon until tender. Prunes and toasted almonds are added near the end, creating a sweet-savory sauce. It is a celebratory dish served at weddings and family gatherings, eaten with bread or couscous.
Order it with a side of couscous to soak up the sauce.
Atlas Mountains
Steamed semolina topped with a medley of seasonal vegetables and tender meat.
Couscous is steamed over a broth of lamb or chicken with carrots, zucchini, turnips, pumpkin, and chickpeas. The vegetables are arranged on top of the couscous and the broth is poured over. It is traditionally eaten on Fridays after the midday prayer, often with family.
Friday lunch is the best time to try it, as many restaurants serve it only then.
Fès
A hearty dish of shredded msemen, chicken, and lentils in a fenugreek-scented broth.
Chicken is stewed with lentils, onions, and a blend of spices including fenugreek and saffron. Shredded msemen (layered flatbread) is added to soak up the broth. It is often served at gatherings and after childbirth for its nourishing properties.
Eat it with a spoon and a fork, and don't skip the broth.
Fès
A sweet and savory pie with pigeon or chicken, almonds, and cinnamon.
A thin warqa pastry is filled with shredded pigeon or chicken, toasted almonds, eggs, and spices. It is baked until crisp and dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Pastilla is served at weddings and special occasions as a starter or main.
Try the chicken version if pigeon is not available; it's equally delicious.
Marrakech
Slow-roasted whole lamb, often cooked in a pit.
A whole lamb is seasoned with cumin, salt, and sometimes garlic, then roasted in an underground clay oven or over a spit for hours until falling off the bone. The meat is served with cumin and salt for dipping. Mechoui is a festive dish, commonly eaten at celebrations and in the countryside.
Order it by weight at a mechoui specialist; it's best shared among a group.
Marrakech
A spicy, slow-cooked beef or lamb stew made in a clay jar.
Meat is marinated with cumin, paprika, garlic, and preserved lemon, then sealed in a narrow clay jar and cooked in a hammam's embers overnight. The result is intensely flavored and tender. Tanjia is typically a men's dish, eaten on weekends or special occasions.
Order it from a shop that cooks it in the hammam; it's worth the wait.
Casablanca
Spiced meatballs simmered in tomato sauce and topped with eggs.
Ground beef or lamb is mixed with onion, parsley, cumin, and paprika, then rolled into balls. They are cooked in a tomato and pepper sauce, and eggs are cracked on top and poached. It is a common home-cooked meal, served with bread for dipping.
Break the eggs and mix them into the sauce before scooping with bread.
Fès
A classic tagine of chicken, green olives, and tangy preserved lemon.
Chicken pieces are cooked with onions, garlic, ginger, saffron, and preserved lemon. Green olives are added towards the end. The dish is a staple of Moroccan home cooking and is often served with bread or couscous.
Ask for extra preserved lemon if you like a tangy kick.
Fès
A hearty soup of lamb, vegetables, and broken wheat.
Berkukes is made with lamb, onions, tomatoes, chickpeas, and broken wheat (berkukes), simmered until thick. It is flavored with cilantro and a touch of cinnamon. It is often eaten during Ramadan or as a warming winter meal.
Try it with a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavors.
Fès
Shredded flatbread soaked in a savory chicken or pigeon broth.
Trid is made with layers of paper-thin warqa pastry or msemen, shredded and soaked in a broth of chicken or pigeon with lentils and onions. It is garnished with boiled eggs and cinnamon. Traditionally, it is eaten by hand from a communal platter at family gatherings.
Eat it with your right hand, mixing the bread and broth together.
Fès
Sweet steamed vermicelli topped with almonds, cinnamon, and powdered sugar.
Steamed vermicelli is tossed with butter and oil, then topped with toasted almonds, cinnamon, and sugar. It can be served as a dessert or a main course with chicken or lamb. Seffa is often served at celebrations and special occasions.
For a main course, ask for seffa with chicken or lamb.
Tangier
A creamy fava bean dip served with a generous drizzle of olive oil.
This version of bissara is thicker, more like a dip, and is served with a pool of olive oil and a sprinkle of cumin and paprika. It is eaten with bread for breakfast or as a snack. In Tangier, it's a morning staple.
Mix the oil into the bissara before scooping with bread.
Tetouan
An upside-down rice dish with meat, eggplant, and tomatoes.
Maqluba is made by layering rice, fried eggplant, tomatoes, and meat (often chicken or lamb) in a pot. It is cooked until the rice is tender, then flipped onto a platter. It is a festive dish in northern Morocco, influenced by Andalusian cuisine.
Tap the pot gently before flipping to ensure the layers hold.
Marrakech
A sweet and spicy lamb tagine with raisins and almonds.
Lamb is slow-cooked with ras el hanout, saffron, honey, raisins, and almonds until the sauce is thick and syrupy. It is a rich dish traditionally served during Eid al-Adha. The sweetness is balanced by the spices.
Serve it with couscous or bread to balance the richness.
Fès
A tagine combining chicken with dried apricots and a hint of cinnamon.
Chicken is cooked with onions, ginger, saffron, and cinnamon, then dried apricots are added to plump up in the sauce. The dish is garnished with toasted almonds. It is a popular home-cooked meal, especially in autumn when apricots are dried.
Ask for extra sauce to pour over couscous.
Fès
Preserved lamb or beef confit, often served with eggs.
Meat is cooked slowly in its own fat with salt, cumin, and garlic until tender, then stored in fat. It is typically reheated with eggs for breakfast. Khlea is a traditional way to preserve meat and is eaten in winter.
Try it with scrambled eggs and bread for a hearty breakfast.
Chefchaouen
Fava bean soup spiced up with a dollop of harissa.
In Chefchaouen, bissara is often served with a spoonful of harissa mixed in, adding heat to the creamy soup. It is still made with fava beans, garlic, and olive oil. This version is popular for breakfast or a light lunch.
Stir the harissa in gradually to control the spice level.
Essaouira
Fresh sardines cooked in a spicy tomato and chermoula sauce.
Sardines are cleaned and layered in a tagine with tomatoes, peppers, garlic, cilantro, and chermoula spices. They are cooked until the fish is tender and the sauce is thick. This is a common coastal dish, especially in Essaouira and Agadir.
Eat it with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.