15 favorite Moroccan culinary specialties

Prepare your taste buds for a tasty trip to Morocco! Here are our top 15 Moroccan culinary specialties.

For some, the desire to travel lies in the temptation to discover new landscapes, populations with unknown customs, and architecture dating back several centuries, and to accumulate as many photos of the world as possible...

For others, a good reason to travel would be to learn a new musical culture, hunt down local artists, and perfect their playlists. Finally, for food lovers, traveling is above all an opportunity to awaken their taste buds! Taste new combinations of products, discover the typical dishes of each country...

Travel today to Morocco, where the gastronomic culture, renowned throughout the world, is made up of a diversity of unique flavors accompanied by a subtle scent of spices. So, prepare your taste buds for this culinary journey through the discovery of our 15 favorite Moroccan specialties!

A little appetizer

1. Briouates

Also known as Briwate, this first Moroccan specialty is a puff pastry that can be eaten both savory and sweet. When salted, the stuffing is usually made from minced meat, chicken, fish, or vegetables.

Otherwise, you can enjoy them sweetened with grilled almonds, sugar, orange blossom water, and cinnamon, all wrapped in a sheet of Brik. A delight to devour in one bite!.

Finally, Briouates are the Moroccan variety of preparation found under different names throughout the Ottoman Empire: Bricks in Tunisia, Sambusak or Brioutes in Turkey, or even Boureks in the Balkans, Lebanon, and Algeria.

2. Harira

3. The Zaaluk

Zaalouk, or Moroccan aubergine caviar! This specialty regularly sits on Moroccan tables as a starter and especially as an accompaniment to main dishes.

Usually accompanied by bread, Zaalouk is made of grilled eggplant, mixed with tomatoes, and seasoned with garlic and spices. A true fiber-rich delight!

4. La Pastilla

From the city of Fez, this Moroccan specialty offers a unique culinary experience. Stuffed with meat, the puff pastry is then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar: an amazing but delicious sweet-salty mix.

Traditionally filled with pigeons, you can also taste variations with chicken, beef, or fish.

Main dishes

5. Couscous

Complete and convivial, couscous is the emblematic dish of the Maghreb, and each country has its own recipes. Generally served on weekends in a large dish for the whole table, Moroccans often eat it straight from the dish!.

Originally composed of semolina, beef, mutton, and boiled vegetables, you can find many variations such as couscous with chicken, fish, or even sweetened with raisins.

6. Tagine

How to make a selection of the best Moroccan specialties without mentioning the essential Tajine?.

If the word itself refers to the famous terracotta dish, it is used to concoct a wide variety of stewed recipes. From the classic chicken Tagine with candied lemon and olives to variants such as the beef Tagine with saffron or the mutton Tagine with onions and chickpeas, the taste buds of all gourmets will be satisfied!.

7. Rfissa

A tasty and nutritious Moroccan specialty, Rfissa consists of a base of Msemmen (North African pancake) accompanied by pigeons or chicken and lentils. Simmered in a broth of onions, ginger, coriander, saffron, and Ras el hanout, this dish also owes its exquisite flavor to the essential fenugreek.

Remained for centuries in Moroccan traditions, this dish is also often prepared on the occasion of a birth. Indeed, very nourishing, it would allow the mother to regain her strength and promote the rise of breast milk.

8. La Mrouzia

An old and subtle Moroccan tajine recipe, Mrouzia is the dish traditionally served during the feast of the Eid al-Kebir. Prepared with lamb neck, almonds, raisins, honey, and Cinnamon, the whole is finely balanced by the spices of Ras el-hanout.

9. The Tanjia

From the city of Marrakesh, the Tanjia is a typical and original Moroccan specialty. Indeed, this dish is cooked in an earthen pot called Tangia, in the embers of the wood oven of a traditional Hammam, for at least 4 hours!.

Generally prepared by men, this specialty is mainly composed of meat, simmered of course with spices and candied lemons. A pure delight!.

A bit of softness

10. Mint tea

How to evoke Moroccan specialties without mentioning the famous mint tea?.

And for good reason, it is served at any time of the day, especially at the end of meals. Indeed, rare or non-existent are the dishes that do not end with a good mint tea. Also, it is a symbol of hospitality, a drink that cannot be refused.

In some regions, other ingredients may be added to the tea such as sage, verbena, cinnamon, or orange blossom water. And above all, mint tea goes perfectly with Moroccan pastries: discover them below!

11. The gazelle horn

Prepare your taste buds for a trip to the land of Moroccan sweets!.

The gazelle horn is undoubtedly the best-known and most appreciated of these pastries. Made from crushed almonds and orange blossoms, it goes wonderfully with the mint tea ritual.

12. Chebakia

Chebakia is an essential pastry on Moroccan tables during Ramadan. This honey specialty is deliciously embellished with almonds, sesame seeds, and various spices. A refined and unbeatable recipe!.

13. Dates

14. The Ghriyba

Ghriyba is a Moroccan pastry specialty that can also be found in the Maghreb countries, Egypt, and the Near East. It is also often associated with mantecados of Andalusia.

Made from flour and flavored with lemon or orange zest and cinnamon, this sweet is usually served at parties, accompanied by mint tea or coffee.

15. Baghir

Drizzled with a traditional syrup of orange blossom water and cinnamon, this delicacy is eaten with butter and honey, all accompanied by the famous mint tea. Moroccans love it, as do foreigners!.

So, which of all these Moroccan specialties makes you want the most?.