“We visited places we would have not have had the confidence to on our own, and as a result got to try some superb foods.”
— Lucie, 2026
01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Marrakech.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Tagines slow braised for hours, preserved lemon, chermoula charcoal grill, ras el hanout in the couscous. Moroccan spice is aromatic, not hot.
04 The pantry
- Ras el hanout, house-blended spice mix of up to thirty ingredients
- Preserved lemons, salt-cured citrus for tagines
- Argan oil, nutty pressed oil from the Souss valley
- Chermoula, herb marinade of coriander, cumin, garlic and lemon
- Smen, aged fermented butter with a blue-cheese depth
05 In the kitchen
- Slow-braising tagines in conical clay pots over low charcoal
- Steaming couscous in three stages over the stew below
- Grilling brochettes and kefta over glowing charcoal at the souk
- Preserving lemons in salt for months before use
- Blending ras el hanout spice mixes at family spice merchants
06 Eat this first
- Tagine of lamb, slow-braised with prunes, almonds and cinnamon
- Couscous royale, semolina steamed with seven vegetables and lamb
- Mechoui, whole shoulder of lamb slow-roasted in a pit
- Tanjia Marrakchia, urn-cooked beef with preserved lemon and smen
- Msemen, flaky square flatbread torn hot with honey and butter
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
09 Recipes
A collection of authentic recipes we couldn't leave behind.
Soft yeasted semolina pancakes covered in a thousand tiny bubbles, cooked on a hot skillet on one side only. Morocco's spongy honey-soaked breakfast.
Spicy merguez lamb sausages grilled hard, tucked into a crusty baguette with sliced tomato, chili sauce and pickles. Tangier's Spanish-Moroccan street lunch.
Cannellini or white beans simmered in tomato, garlic, cumin and paprika until soupy-tender. The Moroccan winter one-pot, eaten with khobz.
Small triangular or cigar-shaped pastries stuffed with spiced meat, cheese or almond paste, fried crisp. Morocco's cocktail-party appetiser, sold at every souk stand.
Sweet, thick set yogurt made from whole milk and rennet, scented with orange blossom. Morocco's oldest dessert, spooned from small clay jars.
Slow-cooked chicken tagine with preserved lemons, cracked green olives and a saffron-onion sauce. Morocco's Friday-lunch classic, eaten with khobz.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Marrakech.
Weather
Warm winters and hot summers. The medina is most walkable in the shoulder seasons; midsummer temperatures regularly reach 40°C.
Currency
Cash is king in the souks; ATMs are common in the Ville Nouvelle. Most riads accept card for stays but not for cash sales.
Language
Moroccan Arabic (Darija) is spoken everywhere; French is the language of business and shopfronts; basic English is common in tourist areas.
Etiquette
Cover shoulders and knees in religious sites and the old city. Remove shoes before entering homes and mosques; always ask before photographing someone.
Getting around
The old city is best on foot — cars can't reach most alleys. Petits taxis (small, beige) are cheap; always agree the fare before you set off.
Prayer
Life pauses gently for prayer, especially Friday afternoon. Some shops close briefly; the call to prayer is part of the medina's daily rhythm.