Souss Almonds, lamb, datesHere’s what you’ll find on offer at a snak:Brochettes Kebabs rubbed with salt and spices, grilled on a skewer and served with khoobz
and harissa (capsicum-pepper sauce), cumin and salt. Among the most popular varieties are
lamb, chicken, kefta (spiced meatballs of ground lamb and/or beef), and the aggressively
flavourful ‘mixed meat’ (usually lamb or beef plus heart, kidney and liver).
Merguez Hot, spicy, delicious homemade lamb sausage, not to be confused with teyhan
(stuffed spleen; like liver, only less bitter and more tender) – merguez is usually reddish in
colour, while teyhan is pale.
Pizza Now found at upscale snaks catering to the worldly Moroccan middle class. Look for
snaks boasting wood-fired ovens, and try tasty local versions with olives, onions, tomatoes,
Atlantic anchovies and wild thyme.
Shwarma Spiced lamb or chicken roasted on a spit and served with tahina (sesame sauce) or
yoghurt, with optional onions, salad, harissa and a dash of sumac (a tart, pickle-flavoured
purple spice; highly recommended).
TOP TIPS FOR ENJOYING STREET FOOD & STAYING HEALTHY
» » Make a beeline for busy stalls Moroccans are sticklers for freshness, and know which places consistently deliver. Snak
stalls have better turnover of fresh ingredients than most fancy restaurants, where you can’t typically check the meat and
cooking oil before you sit down to dinner.
» » Check out the cooking oil Is it extremely smoky, pungent or murky? Hold out for fresher, cleaner cooking oil.
» » Always look over the ingredients Check the food on display, especially if you’ll be ordering meat or seafood. This is no
time to get squeamish. Are the fish eyes still bright, the hearts bloody, and the snails alive? That’s a good sign for adventurous
foodies who want to try fried fish, skewered, grilled lamb hearts, and steaming snail soups.
» » Clean your hands right before eating Much of what we call ‘food poisoning’ is actually illness caused by bacteria
transferred from hand to mouth while eating.
» » Use your bread to scoop up food This is how Moroccans eat, and it makes sense. If you’re using utensils briefly rinsed
in cold water, hygiene-wise, you’re sharing a rather intimate moment with the stranger who used them before you.
» » Stick to your own purified or bottled water It takes time adjusting to local water, so it’s better to drink purified or bottled
stuff – and never drink out of rinsed-and-reused stall glasses.
» » Wait until your second-to-last night If your stomach is skittish, hold out for that street food adventure. If dinner goes
down a treat – as it should – you’ll be back tomorrow.Tajines The famous Moroccan stews cooked in conical earthenware pots that keep the meat
unusually moist and tender. The basic tajines served at a roadside snak are usually made with
just a few ingredients, pulled right off a camping stove or kanun (earthenware brazier), and
plonked down on a ramshackle folding table. Often you can pick your tajine; point to one that’s
been bubbling for an hour or two, with nicely caramelised onions and well-reduced sauce. Don’t
let appearances fool you: this could be one of the best tajines you’ll eat in Morocco. Pull up a
stool and dig in, using your khoobz as your utensil instead of rinsed-and-reused flatware.