There are two things you can be sure of when it comes to your taste buds in Morocco.
You’ll drink enough sugary mint tea to send your dentist into a spin. And, after a couple of days, you’ll be sick to your back teeth of tagine (if you have any left).
What’s a hapless (and hungry) traveler to do?
As most locals will tell you, the best Moroccan food is found at home, not in restaurants.
Unless you can wangle an invite to a local’s home, your best bet is to dive into the maze-like medinas and head to the food souks.
Vendors gather together in guild-like fashion, so you’ll find honey sellers in one area and a row of butchers down another alleyway.
The best cities for street food include Fez (head towards the Achabine area), Marrakech (in Djemaa el-Fna and the surrounding streets) and Essaouira (near the port end of Place Moulay Hassan).
“A lot of visitors miss out on street food because they go back to their hotel between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. for dinner,” says guide Gail Leonard, who runs various food tours of Fez, the culinary capital of Morocco.
“This is when Moroccans promenade and snack, before dinner at home at around 10 p.m.
“It’s also the time when you get to connect with Moroccans because that’s when they’re out eating.”
Street food is also popular for breakfast and lunch and draws on Morocco’s mix of Berber, Arab and European cultures.
Best of all, it’s fresh, filling and yours for a few dirhams.
Bread
Crusty bread (khobz) baked in the communal wood-fired oven is a Moroccan staple.
The souks also serve up a tempting array of pan-fried, waistline-busting loaves.
Particularly good is beghrir (spongy bread a bit like crumpets), harsha (buttery bread made of fine semolina) and rghaif (flaky, layered flat bread).
Topped with honey or goats’ cheese, they make a good snack while you’re out exploring. Expect to pay from AED 2-10 ($0.24-1.18), depending on the topping.
Bessara
A bowl of hearty fava bean soup, mopped up with the ubiquitous khobz, is a popular workers’ breakfast and costs just AED 5 ($0.59).
Hole-in-the-wall eateries also dish it up for lunch with a glug of lemon-infused olive oil and a sprinkle of cumin and chili.
It’s made with loads of garlic (about one kilogram per large vat) and the stallholder will simply shut up shop once he’s sold out.
Crumbed liver
Moroccan’s are big on nose-to-tail eating, so if offal’s your thing, you’re in for a treat.
You can chow down on cow udders, tongues, tripe or even feet.
If that’s a bit too adventurous there’s the Moroccan version of a Weiner schnitzel: smooth and buttery calves’ livers, crumbed and fried.
Food in souks is sold by weight and a decent portion will cost around AED 10 ($1.18). The vendor will then chop it up and serve in a sandwich or with a handful of fries.
Steamed sheep head
This delicacy is usually eaten for breakfast after a home slaughter during the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice).
In the souk, sheep heads are steamed for about five hours and ready by lunchtime.
“They’re sold as a half (AED 15 ($1.77)) or whole head (AED 30 ($3.55)), with or without eyes, although the brains are sold separately at another stall,” says Gail.
How to tackle eating a head? After the vendor scrapes the fur off, sprinkle with cumin, salt and chili, and then scrape out the tender cheek meat and tongue.
Spicy sardines
Morocco is the world’s largest exporter of sardines, so these silvery little fish are a street food staple.
The sardines are stuffed with a spicy chermoula paste made of tomato, coriander, chili, garlic, paprika, cumin, olive oil and lemon juice.
They’re then coated in a light batter, fried until crisp and often served with a fried green chili. Again, they’re sold by weight but AED 15 ($1.77) will buy you a very tasty sandwich.
Aubergine fritters
Vegetarians can happily scoff their way through the souks too, with plenty of fresh, organic produce on display.
Look out for sliced aubergine (eggplant) dipped in sweet smoked paprika batter and deep-fried (AED 1 each ($0.12)).
The silky, smoky slices are served with spicy lubia (white haricot beans stewed in tomatoes, cumin, paprika, garlic and ginger) or fresh salad.
Brochettes
Follow the billowing clouds of smoke and you’ll find mini chicken kebabs cooking over charcoal.
The meat is rubbed with salt and spices such as paprika and cumin, or spiced ground lamb or beef (kefta) is formed around a skewer and grilled.
The brochettes are served with khobz, harissa (red pepper sauce), red onion, cumin and salt and cost around AED 20-30 ($2.36-3.55).
Snail soup
Stalls selling steaming vats of snail soup are popular across the country. A bowl costs between AED 5-10 ($0.59-1.18).
First you pluck the snails from their shells with a toothpick before slurping the soup.
“The snails have a very earthy flavor, a bit like shitake mushrooms,” says Gail.
Moroccans believe the broth, flavored with a concoction of around 15 different spices, is good for digestion and fever, so some drink it without snails.
Stuffed camel spleen
For an alternative take on sausage, how about tehal (stuffed camel spleen)?
Stuffed with ground beef, lamb or camel meat, olives, spices and a little bit of hump fat, the spleen is then sent off to be baked in the communal bread oven.
It’s then sliced, griddled and served up in a sandwich (AED 15 ($1.77)). The texture is soft and creamy, like liver, and tastes a bit gamey.
Or you can pop into Café Clock in Fez for one of their famous camel burgers served with fries and salad (AED 95 ($11.23)); (7 Derb el Magana, Talaa Kbira; +212 535 637 855;www.cafeclock.com).
Sweet treats
Super sweet pastries and biscuits are big in Morocco, especially during Ramadan when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.
Each evening, they celebrate breaking their fast with succulent dates, pastries and savory harira (wholesome lentil and tomato soup).
Some of the most irresistible — and calorific — goodies include briwat (deep fried filo pastry triangles stuffed with almonds) and shebakia (flower-shaped sesame cookies that are fried).
Both are dipped in honey and are lip-smackingly good. All for around AED 1-3 each ($0.12-0.35).
Plan-It Fez offers a half-day souk tasting trail in the ancient Fez medina for AED 960 ($113) per person (+212 535 638 708; www.plan-it-fez.com).
