Morocco Travel Guides
Moroccan Food & Culture
Moroccan food and culture are inseparable: meals are shared, tea is a ritual and hospitality is a point of pride. This guide covers the dishes to look for, where and how to eat, everyday customs and etiquette, languages, and the cultural context that turns a sightseeing trip into a real visit.
Meals run late: lunch after one, dinner from about eight. Friday couscous, mint tea etiquette and Ramadan hours are worth knowing before you arrive.
What to eat
Moroccan Food: Dishes to Look For
Tagine
The slow-cooked stew named after its conical clay pot: chicken with preserved lemon and olives, lamb with prunes, kefta meatballs with egg, or vegetables. Eaten with bread rather than cutlery, straight from the dish.
Couscous
Hand-rolled semolina steamed over a broth of vegetables and meat. Traditionally the Friday family dish – many restaurants serve it that day, and a home-cooked version is the one to seek out.
Pastilla
A sweet-savoury pie of thin pastry layered with spiced pigeon or chicken, almonds, cinnamon and icing sugar – a Fes speciality served at celebrations. Seafood versions are common on the coast.
Street food & snacks
Harira (a tomato, lentil and chickpea soup), grilled brochettes and merguez, msemen and other griddled breads, snail soup, fried sardines by the sea, and the food stalls of Jemaa el-Fna after dark. Choose busy stalls with high turnover.
Breakfast & sweets
Breads with olive oil, honey, amlou (almond and argan paste) and jams; baghrir pancakes; fresh orange juice. Pastry shops sell almond-based sweets such as gazelle horns and chebakia, the sesame-honey spiral eaten during Ramadan.
Mint tea
Green tea brewed with fresh mint and plenty of sugar, poured from a height to raise a foam. Offered everywhere – in shops, homes and at the end of a deal – and accepting a glass is part of the exchange. Ask for less sugar if you prefer.
Where & how to eat
Eating Out in Morocco
Moroccan food and culture meet most clearly at the table. Options run from a plastic stool at a grill stall to a candlelit riad restaurant, and the food is often best in the middle: family-run places a street or two off the main squares, with a short menu and a full room of locals. Lunch is the main meal for many Moroccans and dinner is late, so restaurants aimed at visitors fill from about eight in the evening.
Alcohol is served in licensed restaurants, hotels and bars, mainly in the larger cities and resorts, and is not sold in the medina or during religious holidays in some places. A cooking class or guided food walk is the quickest way into all of this – see Things to Do.
Table habits worth knowing
- Bread is the utensil – tear it and scoop from the shared dish, from the part nearest you
- Right hand for eating and passing food when sharing
- Wash first – a basin or ewer is often brought before a home meal
- Tea comes last – and refusing a second glass is fine, gently
- Tipping – small change at cafes, around ten percent in restaurants where service is not included
- Vegetarians manage well: vegetable tagines, salads, lentils and beans are everywhere; say “bla lham” (no meat)
Customs & etiquette
Moroccan Culture and Everyday Etiquette
Greetings & hospitality
“Salam alaikum” opens most conversations; a handshake is usual between men, and between men and women follow the woman’s lead. Invitations to tea are genuine – accept when you can, and bring pastries or fruit if invited to a home.
Dress & religion
Morocco is a Muslim country and modest dress – shoulders and knees covered – is appreciated in medinas, villages and near mosques; beach and resort areas are relaxed. Non-Muslims generally cannot enter mosques, the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca being the main exception.
Ramadan & Fridays
During Ramadan many Moroccans fast from dawn to sunset; visitors are not expected to, but eating and drinking discreetly in public is courteous, and evenings become festive. Friday midday prayers briefly close some shops and workshops.
Photography
Ask before photographing people, and expect performers and water-sellers in tourist squares to want a small payment. Avoid photographing military, police or government buildings.
Bargaining in the souk
Expected for crafts, carpets and souvenirs, not for food or fixed-price shops. Keep it good-humoured, decide what the item is worth to you, and be ready to walk away – politely. Prices in cafes and restaurants are fixed.
Languages
Moroccan Arabic (Darija) and Amazigh (Berber) are the everyday languages; French is widely spoken in cities, business and menus, Spanish in the north, and English increasingly in tourism. A few words of Darija – “shukran” (thank you), “la, shukran” (no, thank you) – go a long way.
Good to Know
- Drink bottled or filtered water and go easy on ice from unknown sources for the first days; well-cooked hot food from busy places is the safest street eating.
- Argan oil and spices make good gifts – buy from cooperatives and spice shops rather than from touts, and check that argan is cold-pressed and sealed.
- Public affection is kept low-key; same-sex relationships are not legally recognised in Morocco, so discretion is advised.
- Festivals – religious holidays follow the lunar calendar and shift each year; music and cultural festivals (Essaouira’s Gnaoua festival, Fes’s sacred music festival) draw big crowds, so book early if your dates coincide.
- Visa first. Confirm whether you need a Morocco eVisa before booking. Entry decisions are made by the Moroccan authorities.
- Help with the arrangements. Travel Entry can arrange cooking classes, food walks and cultural visits through tours and activities on request; nothing is booked or charged until you confirm.
Moroccan Food and Culture: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Moroccan food spicy?
Spiced, not hot. Cumin, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, turmeric and the ras el hanout blend give depth rather than heat. Chilli comes on the side as harissa, so you control it.
Is it easy to eat vegetarian or vegan?
Vegetarian, yes – vegetable tagines, couscous with vegetables, lentils, bean dishes, salads and breads are staples. Vegan needs a little more care because butter and eggs appear in pastries and some breads; ask, and tourist-facing restaurants increasingly label options.
Can I drink alcohol in Morocco?
Yes, in licensed restaurants, hotels and bars, mostly in the larger cities and resorts. It is not sold in the medina and availability can be restricted during religious holidays. Drinking in public streets is not acceptable.
What should I wear?
Comfortable, modest clothing – shoulders and knees covered – works everywhere and is expected in medinas, villages and near religious sites. Resorts and beaches are relaxed. Light layers help with hot days and cool evenings.
Should I visit during Ramadan?
You can, and the evening atmosphere is special, but daytime opening hours shorten, some restaurants close until sunset and energy levels are lower in the afternoon. Tourist restaurants and hotels continue to serve visitors. Dates shift each year with the lunar calendar.
Can Travel Entry arrange a cooking class or food tour?
Yes – send your dates and city through our tours and activities request and we will reply with options. Requests are free.
Taste It for Yourself
Sort your visa, then let Travel Entry arrange a cooking class, food walk or cultural visit to experience Moroccan food and culture first-hand. Back to all Morocco travel guides.