Tagine: Morocco's Slow-Cooked Signature Stew
A guide to tagine in Marrakech, from the clay pot and the spices to the classic versions, how to order and where to eat a good one.
Tagine: Slow-Cooked in a Clay Pot
Tagine is the dish most associated with Moroccan cooking, and it takes its name from the conical earthenware pot in which it is cooked. A shallow base holds meat or vegetables with onions, spices, olive oil and sometimes fruit or nuts, and the tall lid traps steam, which condenses and runs back down, keeping everything moist. The result is tender meat in a fragrant, thick sauce, and a meal that is cooked slowly, often for hours, over a charcoal burner. The flavors are warm rather than hot, built from cumin, ginger, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon and saffron.
There are many versions. Chicken with preserved lemon and olives is the classic, with a bright, salty tang, while lamb with prunes and almonds is sweet and rich. Beef with potatoes and peas, kefta with eggs, fish with tomatoes and vegetable tagines suit different tastes, and in Marrakech, the tagine with lamb, dried apricots and almonds is a local favorite. The tagine is served in the pot at the table, and you eat with bread, which you use to scoop up the sauce, rather than a fork. Sharing from a single dish is traditional.
How to Order Tagine
| Step | What to Do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Choose your tagine: chicken with preserved lemon is the classic, lamb with prunes the sweet option and vegetable the vegetarian one |
| 2 | Ask for bread and eat with your right hand, using the bread to scoop food from the pot |
| 3 | Order a salad of cooked vegetables, called Moroccan salads, as a starter, and mint tea to finish |
| 4 | Check the price before ordering, and avoid places where nothing is listed |
Where to Try Tagine in Marrakech
Small local restaurants in the medina serve excellent tagine at low prices, often from a single menu board. Many riads offer dinner on request, with a home-cooked tagine, and cooking classes allow you to learn how to make one. Restaurants near Jemaa el-Fnaa are often touristy but can be decent; those a few streets away are cheaper and more authentic. A tagine in a local restaurant usually costs about $5 to $9, and in a more upscale restaurant $12 to $20. Lunch is the best time to eat, when tagines are freshly cooked.
If a restaurant has tagines already sitting on the counter on charcoal in the afternoon, they are probably fine, but if the menu is huge and the staff are pulling you inside, look elsewhere.
