Moroccan Food

This page is devoted to an explanation of Moroccan foods and meals. Comment with any questions!

Meal: Breakfast –A typical breakfast is bread, with cheese or jam, and coffee or tea. On weekends, pastries are often added to the rotation.

Rghaif

A traditional flat-bread, the equivalent of pancakes or crepes. Rghaifs occasionally contain meat and vegetables inside, in which case they’re callled meloui. The rghaif dough is pan-fried and served at breakfast and snack. Rghaif is a street food, but it’s primarily made in the home. It’s often spread with La Vache Qui Rit.

Moroccan Bread

 

This is the staple of a Moroccan breakfast. Khobz in Arabic, it can be purchased from vendors on the street for 1 dirham (about 12 cents) per boule. It’s eaten not just for breakfast but at every meal.

 

Harsha

 

Another type of flatbread, made with semolina flour. Its texture and taste is similar to cornbread. Again, this can be purchased from street vendors, but is typically made at home.

 

 

La Vache Qui Rit

 

This cheese isn’t Morocco specific, but it’s prominent here to a degree it isn’t in France and America. It’s a spreadable cheese. It’s eaten on harsha, rghaif, and bread.

 

 

 

Meal: Lunch – Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Morocco. Traditionally, it is eaten as a family, but in an increasingly modernized Morocco that tradition is fading. Even so, Friday lunch remains a time for families to gather together to share couscous.

Tagine

Tagines are perhaps the most essential of all Moroccan foods. Pictured here is a kefta tagine, which has a red sauce and is topped with an egg. Tagines are slow-cooked in a tagine pot, which is often intricately painted. I often eat tagines at dinner as well. There are many different types, because any type meat and vegetable can be added to the tagine.

Couscous

Couscous is traditionally eaten for Friday’s lunch in Morocco. Again, there are different kinds of couscous, but the most common one is made with seven vegetables and meat, including pumpkin, carrots, zucchini, chickpeas, cabbage, tomatos, fennel, and onion.

Rfissa

Rfissa made with ripped-up msemen (a cousin of grhaif), or in rare cases, harsha. The msemen is mixed with lentils, garlic, chicken, saffron, and other spices. Rfissa is one of the heaviest things I’ve eaten here. I’m partial to the harsha rfissa that my host mother makes, because it tastes a lot like stuffing from back home.

 

Seffa

 

Seffa is made with vermicelli; sweetened with raisins, butter, and powdered sugar; and garnished with almonds and cinnamon. It’s typically served after an entree.

 

 

Chicken Shawarma

 

Although Shawarma is originally middle eastern, it’s also a common Moroccan street food. It can be purchased with fries for 20 dirhams, or about $2.50. Street shawarma is often not very sanitary and has caused nausea when I’ve eaten it.

 

Zaalouk

 

Zaalouk is a cold eggplant and tomato salad. It’s a common side dish and is usually eaten dipped in bread.

 

 

 

Meal: Dinner – Dinner is much lighter than lunch. Occansionally left-overs are served, or else a soup or vegetables and meat. Desert is normally fruit or yogurt. Dinner is eaten much later than it is in the US, from around 8pm to 10pm, right before bed. 

Mint Tea

 

Moroccan mint tea is made with a base of green tea and with fresh mint. It’s served sweet and hot, and can be found at all cafes as well as served with almost every meal. I’ve grown more fond of it the more I drink it.

 

 

Harira

 

Harira is a thick soup served during Ramadan to break the fast at the end of each day. It’s delicious, very filling, and can be bought at restaurants for around 10 dirhams, or $1.25 per bowl.

 

 

Kefta Kebabs

 

These lamb kebabs are grilled and served hot! They’re delicious and can be found not only on the street but also at home.

 

 

 

B’stilla

 

 

B’stilla is a meat pie, which is sweetened with cinnamon, powdered sugar, and almonds. It’s served for special occasions.

 

 

 

Snacks

Cocos

 

 

These coconut macaroons can be found in the medina for 1 dirham each, or 12 cents. They’re great to munch on during a shopping trip in the medina!

 

 

Fruit Juice

 

I’ve never tasted fruit juice in the US like the fruit juice in Morocco. Pictured here is strawberry juice. The juice is more like a smoothie, with pureed fruit and ice, with the option of added sugar. Each juice shop has at least ten different kinds of fruit juice, and often more.