Moroccan Cuisine: 5 local dishes you must try in Tamraght

Par Jessie de Daytrips, le 1er juillet 2024

Moroccan food is worth writing home about. Simple in preparation, rich in flavour, and best enjoyed as a feast amongst loved ones.There’s a culinary galaxy for you to explore, but these are the top 5 Moroccan foods I recommend sinking your teeth into during your stay in Tamraght.

A feast for all the senses, at Le Petit Kawa.

Where to Find in Tamraght:

  • Let’s Be – For a boujier spread.
  • La Panière – For a bargain

First up, your gateway into Moroccan food: the traditional Moroccan breakfast. It contains the three staples of a proper Moroccan diet. Mint tea, msemen and amlou; the holy trinity.

Most hostels ans surf camps will include this daily spread in your booking, but if not – pretty much every coffe and restaurants in Tamraght offers its own variation.

The traditional Moroccan breakfast usually consists of some combination, if not all, of the following:

  • Mint tea
  • Coffee
  • Orange juice
  • Msemen (Otherwise known as Moroccan crepes. But picture something more like Indian paratha or roti. Super flaky, pan-fried layers of folded dough.)
  • Khobz (Moroccan bread)
  • Harcha (semolina flatbread)
  • Baghrir (semolina pancake)
  • Olives
  • Jben (soft cheese)
  • Local honey
  • Olive oil
  • Amlou (Spread made from almonds, argan oil, and honey. Amazing.)
  • Eggs

 

It’s an elaborate spread made only more opulent by the colourful hand painted bowls and dishes it’s often served in. Hefty. Heavy on the sugar, heavy on the gluten. Well worth it.

Tip: When seeking out good-value Moroccan food in restaurants, check the price of the traditional Moroccan breakfast. As a rule of thumb, if the breakfast is around 50dh (€5) or less, you’re getting a good deal. If it’s 30dh? Then it’s most likely an authentic, low-key, locals eatery. Definitely Moroccan owned and run, and well worth supporting.

Sizzling calamari tagine at Kisslaz, Tamraght.

Where to Find in Tamraght:

– Timam du Chef – My favourite, thus far.
– Chez Mimoun – Crazy cheap.

The quintessential Moroccan dish. Both the name of the earthenware cooking vessel and the food itself, tagines will be ubiquitous throughout your travels in Morocco.

Not just through the foods that they eat, but in the act of sharing meals together in a communal celebration. No forks or plates; everybody breaking bread and digging into the one steaming hot dish. I think that’s the secret spice to Moroccan food; everything tastes better when it’s shared.

The best tagines in restaurants aren’t made to order. They’re sitting out the front on hot coals for hours, slow-cooking away. Ready to be delivered to your table in a theatrical reveal of sizzling tender-cooked meat and veg. Served with khobz, always. And paired perfectly with a Moroccan salad.

 

You can find tagines with pretty much any protein variation. Beef and date (amazing); chicken and lemon; sardines and tomatoes (more common in the coastal towns); or just straight vegetables.

 

However, a Moroccan friend told me that meat is really the only way to go. The oils from the meat cook down into the vegetables, oomphing up the taste of the whole dish. I’m not a huge meat-eater, but I wholeheartedly agree.

To try your hand at the iconic Moroccan dish, check out my beef and raisin tagine recipe.

Best seat in the house.

Where to Find in Tamraght:

– Sandwich traditionnel : Pour la kefta.

– Subway Fish : Pour les sardines et les légumes grillés.

Moroccan street food: at least 10 times fresher, cheaper, and tastier than any fast food you’ll find at a chain restaurant.

Set up on their slice of pavement with hot coals and a barbecue, the sandwich vendors offer up grilled sausage, kefta, or fish in half a round of fresh bread. All super delicious, but kefta (spiced beef or lamb meatballs) is my go-to. Served with lettuce, chopped tomatoes and onion, and spicy sauce if you please.

You can perch up on the kerbside, kefta sandwich in hand, stray cat by your side and watch the Tamraght world go round. Truly an unsurpassed dinner date.

You will find sandwich carts in all cities and most villages you visit in Morocco. There are two vendors that park up on the main-ish street in Tamraght each night. Plus, a fish sandwich shop a little further up. There are plenty more on the main strip in Taghazout if you find yourself in the neighbouring village.

For only 10dh a pop, you can’t go wrong. Whether on a budget or not, kefta sandwiches are a must during your stay in Tamraght.

Berber omelette and a mandatory Moroccan salad

Where to Find in Tamraght:

  • Le Surfing Café – For ocean views
  • Smoothieland – For a neighbourhood gem.

I love breakfast more than I love most things in this world. And the Berber omelette is the Moroccan breakfast I love most.

More or less the Moroccan version of shakshuka. Garlic, onion, and capsicum are sautéed in a tagine (versatile little numbers) with grated tomatoes and loads of spices. Eggs are lightly beaten, cracked into the rich tomato sauce and cooked with the lid on.

Sometimes kefta is added, but that’s a little hectic for my morning belly. Oftentimes it’s jazzed up with chillies and herbs, laughing cow cheese, olives or khlii (Moroccan preserved meat). And of course, khobz.

The real breakfast of champions.

Find the full recipe for an authentic Berber omelette here, and give it a whirl yourself.

Le Petit Kawa making a double cameo with their avocado smoothie.

Where to Find in Tamraght:

Le Petit Kawa – For the OG

Kisslaz – Also great.

Forget the açaí, hemp protein, and bee pollen; the Moroccans bring it back to basics with their signature smoothie. Just avocado, dates, and almonds. (Plus, a dash of milk or orange juice to blend). Bnine.

Finished with a little decorative flare (as Moroccans are wont to do) of chopped nuts, dates and maybe a slice of persimmon or two. Super nutritious, super filling, and super popular during Ramadan for breaking the daily fast. Equally suitable for refuelling after a long day in the surf.

If you love a creamy smoothie, you need to give it a whirl. If not, then you can at least appreciate the novelty of a land where avocados cost less than 5dh (€0.50).

Where to Find in Tamraght:

Le Petit Kawa – For the OG.
Kisslaz – Also great.

Besaha.

May your adventures be embellished by all the glorious Moroccan food that this land has to offer. For more culinary recommendations, check out this post on the best cafes and restaurants in Tamraght.

Recipes to try:

Berber Omelette
Beef and Raisin Tagine
Moroccan Salad
Moroccan Mint Tea
Kefta Tagine