Eating on the road to the Sahara

What is included on our tours

Lunch is not included on purpose: it gives you the choice of where and how much to eat, and your driver knows the good places on every road.

Breakfast

Moroccan breakfasts are generous: bread, msemen (flaky square pancakes), baghrir (the "thousand-hole" pancakes), olive oil, butter, honey, jam, olives, cheese, eggs, fresh orange juice and mint tea or coffee. In the desert camp, breakfast is simpler but just as welcome after sunrise.

Tagine, the dish of the road

A tagine is both a clay pot with a conical lid and the stew slowly cooked inside it. On the road you will find chicken with preserved lemon and olives, beef or lamb with prunes and almonds, kefta (meatballs) with eggs, and vegetable tagines. They are cooked slowly over charcoal, so order and relax.

Couscous on Friday

Couscous is traditionally eaten on Friday, the day of family lunch. If your tour falls on a Friday, many roadside restaurants serve a big plate of couscous with seven vegetables and meat.

Madfouna, the Berber pizza

Around Rissani and Merzouga, try madfouna: a round bread stuffed with minced meat, onions, eggs and spices, baked in a wood oven or in the hot sand. Travellers call it the Berber pizza; locals call it lunch.

Harira and soups

Harira, a soup of tomato, lentils, chickpeas and herbs, often starts dinner in the hotel and the camp. On cold desert nights, nothing is better.

Dates, almonds and fruit

The Tafilalet around Rissani and the Draa Valley grow some of Morocco's best dates. In autumn you can buy them fresh from the harvest. Almonds, figs, oranges and pomegranates follow the seasons.

Mint tea

Mint tea is offered everywhere: at the pass, in the ksar, at the camp, in a carpet shop. It is poured from high to make foam, and served sweet unless you ask for "bla sokkar", without sugar.

Vegetarians, allergies and special diets

Vegetarian food is easy to find: vegetable tagines, couscous, salads, omelettes and soups. Vegan and gluten-free meals are possible with notice. Tell us about any allergy when you book; we inform the hotels and camps in advance.

Water and eating safely

Drink bottled water, available everywhere, and bring a refillable bottle. Freshly cooked, hot dishes are the safest; peel fruit if you have a sensitive stomach.

Our favourite lunches on the road

Lunch facing the kasbah at Aït Ben Haddou on day one, and a madfouna in Rissani on the way to the dunes. Ask your driver: they always know the best table.

Dinner at the hotel and in the camp

On the first night, in the hotel between Kelaat M'Gouna and Tinghir, dinner usually starts with harira or a salad, followed by a tagine or couscous and fruit or a sweet pastry. In the desert camp, dinner is served in a dining tent or under the sky, often by candlelight, before the drums come out around the fire.

Local specialities worth trying

Eating with respect

In rural areas, bread is often used instead of cutlery to scoop food from a shared dish, eaten with the right hand. You will always be offered cutlery if you prefer. Leaving a little food on the plate is polite; refusing tea the first time is not.

Tipping

In restaurants, rounding up or leaving about 10 % is appreciated. At the camp and for your driver, tips are not included and are always welcome if you are happy with the service.

Picnics and snacks

For the long drives, carry a few snacks: nuts, dates and fruit from the markets are healthier and cheaper than the packaged snacks sold at petrol stations. Your driver will also stop at bakeries for fresh bread in the morning.

Cooking classes and food experiences

On private and Elite journeys, we can add a cooking class with a family in the Dades Valley, a bread-baking morning with a nomad family near Merzouga, or a date tasting in a Tafilalet palm grove. Ask us when you plan your trip.