Tagine, couscous and mint tea

A chicken tagine with dried fruit and raisins in its clay pot.

04Experiences

Experience

Moroccan cooking blends Arab, Amazigh, Andalusi, Mediterranean and African traditions, and shared meals and the tea ceremony sit at the centre of social life. Its most famous dish is tagine, a stew of meat, chicken or fish with vegetables or fruit, named after the clay pot it cooks in: a low round base and a conical lid that sends the steam back down, so the ingredients braise with very little water. Couscous is steamed semolina grains with a stew spooned over the top; its know-how and practices were added to UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2020, shared by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania. Other dishes include pastilla, the Marrakesh tanjia and harira soup in winter. Tea means green tea with mint leaves and sugar, offered to guests as a sign of welcome, usually in at least three glasses, and sometimes scented with orange blossom water or herbs in the cold months. Try a tagine in a simple local restaurant, and never turn down the first glass of tea.

2020
Couscous on UNESCO's list: At least 3
Glasses of tea for a guest