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Fès
A thick, pale-green fava bean soup eaten for breakfast.
Dried split fava beans are soaked, boiled until collapsing, then mashed and simmered with garlic, cumin and olive oil into a dense purée-soup. It is served in a bowl with a swirl of olive oil, a dusting of cumin and paprika, and bread for dipping. Moroccans eat it early in the morning, especially in winter, at small neighbourhood shops.
Ask for extra cumin and a side of fresh bread; it is best at a busy morning stall.
Nationwide
A tomato-and-lentil soup that breaks the fast during Ramadan.
Tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, onion, celery and herbs are simmered together, then thickened with a flour-and-water slurry and finished with vermicelli and lemon. It is eaten hot from a bowl with dates and chebakia at sunset during Ramadan, and sold year-round in medina soup stalls.
Order it with a squeeze of lemon and a piece of bread; during Ramadan it comes with dates.
Nationwide
A lighter, brothy soup of vegetables and small pasta or rice.
Chicken or lamb broth is built with onion, tomato, chickpeas and herbs, then finished with fine vermicelli or rice. It is a homey soup served at the start of a family meal or as a light supper, especially in Ramadan alongside harira.
Ask whether it is chicken or lamb based; the lamb version is richer.
Marrakech
A slow-cooked clay-jar stew of beef or lamb, unique to Marrakech.
Meat, preserved lemon, cumin, saffron and smen are sealed in a narrow clay amphora and cooked in the embers of a hammam or bakery oven for hours until falling apart. It is tipped out and eaten with bread, and Marrakchis traditionally buy it from tanjia makers near the medina.
Order it from a specialist tanjia shop and eat it with bread, not couscous.
Nationwide
A sweet-savoury lamb tagine with raisins, almonds and honey.
Lamb is braised with ras el hanout, honey, raisins and toasted almonds until the sauce is dark and syrupy. It is a festive dish served at Eid and family gatherings, eaten with bread or couscous.
Ask for it at a proper tagine restaurant; it is richer and sweeter than everyday tagines.
Nationwide
The classic chicken tagine perfumed with preserved lemon and green olives.
Chicken pieces are slow-braised in a conical clay tagine with onion, garlic, saffron, ginger and preserved lemon, with olives added near the end. The sauce is mopped up with bread, and it is a standard family and restaurant meal.
Order it with bread and a side of salad; ask for the sauce to be reduced if you like it intense.
Nationwide
Spiced minced-beef meatballs simmered in tomato sauce and topped with eggs.
Minced beef is mixed with cumin, paprika, parsley and onion, rolled into small balls and simmered in a tomato and pepper sauce, then eggs are cracked on top and poached. It is served in the tagine with bread for dipping, a common lunch or dinner.
Eat it straight from the tagine with plenty of bread; ask for extra eggs if sharing.
Nationwide
Shredded msemen flatbread layered with chicken, lentils and fenugreek broth.
Chicken is stewed with onion, ginger, saffron and fenugreek, and lentils are cooked separately; torn msemen is steamed over the broth and layered with the meat and lentils. It is a celebratory dish served after a birth or at family gatherings, eaten from a shared platter.
Look for it at family celebrations or order in advance at a home-style restaurant.
Nationwide
Steamed semolina served with a mound of seasonal vegetables and broth.
Semolina is steamed three times and rubbed with oil, then served with a broth of carrot, turnip, courgette, pumpkin, chickpeas and tomato, often with lamb or chicken. It is the Friday lunch dish across Morocco, eaten from a shared plate.
Go on a Friday for the traditional version; ask for the broth on the side.
Nationwide
A sweet onion-and-raisin topping served over couscous.
Onions are caramelised with raisins, cinnamon, ginger and a little sugar until jammy, then spooned over couscous or chicken. It is a festive addition at family meals and weddings, adding sweetness to the savoury grain.
Ask for tfaya on the side so it does not overwhelm the couscous.
Nationwide
Sweet steamed vermicelli topped with cinnamon, almonds and raisins.
Fine vermicelli is steamed and tossed with butter, sugar and cinnamon, then crowned with fried almonds and raisins; sometimes chicken is buried underneath for a savoury-sweet version. It is served at weddings and Eid, eaten with a spoon or from a shared dish.
Try the savoury chicken version if you want a full meal rather than dessert.
Fès
A crisp layered pie of pigeon or chicken, almonds and cinnamon.
Meat is stewed with onion, saffron and cinnamon, shredded and mixed with ground almonds and eggs, then wrapped in thin warqa pastry and baked until crisp, dusted with cinnamon and sugar. It is a wedding and celebration dish, served as a starter or main.
Order the pigeon version in Fès for the traditional taste; the chicken one is milder.
Nationwide
Charcoal-grilled skewers of lamb, beef or chicken.
Cubes of meat are marinated with cumin, paprika, garlic and herbs, threaded on skewers and grilled over charcoal until charred. They are served with bread, salt, cumin and sometimes fries or salad, a common street and restaurant dinner.
Order a mix of lamb and kefta skewers and ask for bread to wrap them.
Nationwide
Grilled minced-meat skewers seasoned with cumin and herbs.
Minced beef or lamb is mixed with onion, parsley, cumin and paprika, moulded onto skewers and grilled over charcoal. They are eaten hot with bread, salad and a squeeze of lemon, a staple of grill stalls.
Ask for them well done and wrap in bread with a little harissa.
Nationwide
Shredded roast lamb stuffed into a round bread roll.
Slow-roasted lamb is shredded and packed into a khobz roll with cumin, salt and sometimes onion and tomato. It is a filling street meal sold near mechoui pits, eaten on the spot.
Ask for extra cumin and a little of the roasting juices.
Fès
Small fried or baked pastry parcels filled with meat or cheese.
Thin warqa pastry is folded around spiced minced meat, chicken or cheese and herbs, then fried or baked until crisp. They are served as a starter at celebrations and family meals, often with a dipping sauce.
Order a mixed plate of meat and cheese briouat to share.
Nationwide
Spiced potato cakes fried until golden.
Mashed potato is mixed with garlic, parsley, cumin and egg, shaped into patties and fried. They are eaten hot with bread, harissa or salad, often as a cheap lunch or Ramadan iftar item.
Ask for them fresh from the fryer and add a dab of harissa.
Nationwide
A chopped tomato, cucumber and onion salad dressed simply.
Tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper and onion are finely diced and dressed with olive oil, lemon, salt and cumin. It is served at the start of meals or alongside tagines, eaten with bread.
Order it with a tagine to cut the richness.
Nationwide
A smoky aubergine and tomato salad-cum-dip.
Aubergines are grilled or fried until soft, then cooked down with tomatoes, garlic, cumin and paprika into a chunky mash. It is served warm or cold with bread as a starter or side.
Eat it with warm khobz and a drizzle of olive oil.
Nationwide
A cooked salad of green peppers and tomatoes.
Green peppers and tomatoes are stewed with garlic, paprika and cumin until soft and jammy. It is served warm with bread, often alongside other salads at the start of a meal.
Order it with zaalouk for a classic salad duo.