Moroccan cuisine is Arab-Berber-French fusion 1000 years in the making. 15 dishes and where to find them. **Classics** **1. Tajine** — not a dish, a vessel (conical clay pot). Variants: lamb + plums + almonds (holiday), chicken + preserved lemon + olives (most popular), vegetarian (fasting). **2. Couscous** — Friday classic (holy day). Semolina + 7 vegetables + lamb/beef. Restaurant only Fridays for authenticity. **3. Pastilla** — sweet-savory pie with filo, pigeon/chicken, almonds, cinnamon, sugar. Fine dining, special dinner. **4. Harira** — Ramadan soup (tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, lamb). Sold on street year-round. **5. Mechoui** — roasted lamb (whole animal on coals, 5h). Marrakesh Souk Ablueh — oldest stalls. **Breakfasts** **6. Msemen** — layered flatbread, savory (honey + cheese) or sweet. Eat fresh at market. **7. Baghrir** — pancakes with 1,000 holes, honey and butter. Children's breakfast. **8. Sfenj** — sugar-free donuts, traditionally sold morning on string (sic!) at bakeries. **Street snacks** **9. Bissara** — dried fava bean soup, olive oil, paprika. Bread inside. 15-20 MAD any gargotte in Fez and Chefchaouen. **10. Snail soup (Boubouches)** — spicy snail soup (cumin, ginger), Jemaa el-Fnaa Marrakesh. Not only for brave — genuinely delicious. **11. Grilled squid** — Essaouira port, pick from bin, grilled on coal. **12. Tanjia Marrakchia** — beef braised 6h in ceramic urn (not tajine, higher form). Marrakesh only. **Sweets** **13. Kaab el-Ghazal** — almond crescents with orange flower water. Patisserie classic. **14. Chebakia** — fried spirals in honey and sesame. Ramadan, but year-round. **15. Mint tea** — not a dish but ritual. Always end of meal. **Where to eat** • **Marrakesh Jemaa el-Fnaa**: stalls 32 and 14 (cleanest, highest turnover) • **Fez Kai Tanjia**: pizza-restaurant with tanjia • **Essaouira**: Chalet de la Plage (classic) • **Chefchaouen**: Bab Ssour (bissara + grill) **Avoid** • Restaurants with 6-language menus = tourist trap, frozen food. • Cooks without customers = food sitting hours. • Seafood dishes in places without refrigeration.