The first spoonful of tagine stopped me mid-bite. The sauce was silky and rich, the meat tender, but it was the harmony of flavors that caught my attention—lemon brightening the edges, turmeric grounding it, and a whisper of cinnamon tying everything together. Morocco’s cooking doesn’t shout; it lingers, unfolding its secrets one spice at a time. My first taste of authentic Moroccan food hooked me instantly.

It was the first day of my trip to Morocco, my second visit in two years, and so far, the food exceeded my high expectations. I developed a passion for the flavors of the country on the first visit. Since I grew up with the intense flavors of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, I recognized the turmeric, ginger, and cumin, yet I appreciated the lighter touch used in authentic Moroccan food.

I often connect to a country through its food, and I’ve found that a food tour is a great way to start a trip. It’s a jumpstart for the senses, walking through the markets, seeing the colorful produce, smelling foods cooking on a grill, and tasting little bites. The guides always steer me to foods they recommend, and learning the names of common dishes means I’ll know what to order on the rest of my trip. For my second visit to Morocco, I wanted to learn more, so I scheduled a food walking tour in Tangier through Get Your Guide and a cooking class in Marrakech through Cookly.me.

More articles on Morocco in Inga’s Adventures, including the Magic of Morrocco in Two Weeks:

The Magic of Morocco in Two Weeks

Food Walking Tour, Tangier

Mohammed Marrakchi, a resident of Tangier, escorted us through the local markets and tiny storefronts in the older part of the city on the Food Walking Tour in Tangier. He was an excellent guide, sprinkling in tidbits about the history of the city and tips on where to visit elsewhere in Morocco. His deep knowledge of the history of his country, excellent English language skills, and easy-going personality make him a wonderful guide. He can also be found at Tangier Private Tours.

“In this small shop, you will meet Ahmed. I call him the Soup DJ,” said Mohammed with a smile. Ahmed’s creamy bissara soup made from pureed split peas was pure comfort food.

As we walked through the market, I accepted a bag of olives from a vendor and sampled sweet dates stuffed with crunchy walnuts and cashews. A filling fruit smoothie made from mango and pomegranate worried me because I couldn’t stop drinking it, despite how full I was getting. I had to save some room. A highlight was briouat, a meltingly flaky pastry filled with savory meat spiced with saffron, cinnamon and ginger. I thought that was the end of the tour, but the tagine was still to come.

Tagine

Tagine is ubiquitous in Morocco, and even I can tire of it. The conical pottery cooking vessel for sale in any market is known as tagine, and so is the savory stew cooked in it. The cone shape allows moisture to collect and drip back to the bottom. Historically, people cooked tagine on hot coals or an open flame, though modern cooks use an electric stovetop or oven. Many tourist establishments serve a simple tagine with a base of couscous topped with mildly spiced meat. Colorful strips of carrot and squash laid over the couscous rise to meet at a point under the top of a conical tagine cooker. However, I learned that couscous is not normally served with tagine in Moroccan households—it’s only for tourists. Couscous is popular in Morocco, just not with tagine. For tourists, the couscous is steamed separately, piled into the tagine cooker and topped with tagine because, apparently, we expect it.

Bread

With tagine, Moroccans eat yeasty khobz bread, a traditional flatish bread (not as flat as the type we think of for wraps). Khobz may be cooked at home if the house is equipped with an oven but is often still cooked in communal ovens. It’s a common sight to see people walking through the narrow streets of the old-town medina to the communal oven conveying a tray covered with a cloth hiding soft mounds of dough. Mohammed ushered us into a dim communal oven where the morning bread making transitioned to roasting waiting trays of nuts.

The tagine I sampled at the casual establishment in Tangier on our food tour was exquisite, bursting with flavor. The sounds of Arabic table talk among the men, who all seemed to know each other, faded as I savored the chicken falling off the bone. White beans, green beans, quince, potatoes, cauliflower and carrots rounded out this hearty meal. Leaving the remains of salad, kebabs, bread and olives behind, I focused on finishing the tagine. This was by far the best tagine I had ever had.

White Flowers Cooking Class

The class description for the White Flowers Cooking Class in Marrakech offered a different menu for each day of the week. I chose the day based on the menu, so I was surprised when we were asked what we wanted to make. Perhaps it was because we were the only participants that day. After leaving it up to Fatima, our cooking instructor, and Zach, our translator, they chose kefta tagine, made with minced meat. Off we went to the market to purchase ground beef, as well as vegetables for a second tagine.

As we walked along the narrow streets, Zach pointed out things I hadn’t noticed, such as the high and low door knockers. In the old days, the high knocker was for men while the lower one was for women, so a person on the inside could tell who was knocking.

Outdoor Kitchen

From the outdoor kitchen on the roof, we had an expansive view across the top of the medina. Thankfully, a thatched roof covered the cooking space providing protection from the sun. In the kitchen was a portable two-burner gas stove, like a Coleman stove, a round table, and a knife. No measuring instruments. Fatima had pureed the tomatoes, separated the garlic cloves and washed the vegetables to make things easier for us.

“These are the spices that every Moroccan kitchen has,” said Zach, translating for Fatima. She pointed at five small ceramic dishes with salt, ginger, turmeric, cumin and black pepper. “Cooks may use more, but this is the minimum. When I was a poor student, I would go to the market. I could purchase tiny packets of these spices. It was enough for one meal.”  

Tagine Recipe

Fatima guided us through the steps to make our kefta tagine.

• Pour oil into the tagine cooker, then add the pureed tomatoes.
• Add pinches of spices and fresh, chopped garlic to tomatoes and simmer for ten minutes.
• Form small meatballs and add to the tomatoes.
• Simmer until cooked.
• Add lots of chopped parsley, even thick stems.
• Add whole or scrambled eggs (optional). 

As the tagine bubbled on the stove, we chatted with Zach and Fatima. We learned that Zach had been trapped in Turkey during the pandemic, where he was attending university, missing his family terribly. Fatima wasn’t sure she wanted to get married. She was enjoying working at the riad, teaching cooking and making her own money. I was struck by how much they had in common with young people anywhere in the world, having their schooling interrupted by the pandemic and not knowing exactly where life would take them.

The Reward

When the tiny meatballs were ready, they were light and tender, like puffs of cloud. The few spices perfectly balanced the tang of the tomato sauce. We didn’t use any spices in the meatballs, but because they were so small, they picked up plenty of seasoning from the sauce. This simple meal came together quickly, packed with flavor.

A vegetable tagine followed with chopped onions, pureed tomatoes, peas, and sliced wedges of potato and zucchini, topped with chopped parsley. The flavors were bright and fresh with contrasting textures. It would make a tasty side dish, or with the potatoes, there was enough heft to stand on its own.

Benefits of the Tour and Class

Not only did we taste exquisite meals, but we learned so much. I ordered bissara soup many times on the rest of our trip, each time giving silent thanks to Mohammed, for I probably wouldn’t have ordered it without having tasted it on the tour. I learned to discern the different flavors in the tagines that I tasted. My photo album is full of photos of foods I liked so I could remember the ingredients and create my own versions at home. Many Moroccan recipes are available online, but knowing just a little about the dishes we tasted in Morocco helped me find authentic recipes. I even learned to make the khobz bread since there’s nothing like it in my town in California—a little misshapen and not as light, but still evoking wonderful memories of aromatic tagines as I sop up the savory sauce.

Through these meals, I carried Morocco home with me, each flavor a reminder that food is one of the most powerful ways to connect with a place and its people.

Adapted from an article first published in Food, Wine, Travel Magazine.