History

Harira is the canonical iftar (fast-breaking) soup of Ramadan across Morocco, served the moment the sundown call to prayer sounds. The dish is medieval; references appear in the 13th-century Hispano-Maghrebi cookbook Kitab al-Tabikh. Outside Ramadan, harira shifts to the streets: bowls for 10 to 15 MAD at Jemaa el-Fna are year-round Marrakech budget food, especially on cold winter nights.

Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Serves 6Hands-on 30 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 300 g lamb shoulder, diced small
  • 100 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
  • 100 g green lentils
  • 800 g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or 1 tin)
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Pinch saffron
  • Bunch coriander and parsley, chopped
  • 50 g vermicelli, broken
  • 100 g plain flour mixed with 200 ml water (tadouira)
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • Salt, pepper, dates to serve

Method

  1. Sweat onions in olive oil at the bottom of a deep pot. Add lamb; brown 5 minutes. Add spices, garlic, tomato paste; stir 1 minute.
  2. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and 2 L water. Simmer 1 hour until chickpeas yield.
  3. Add lentils and herbs. Cook 25 minutes more until tender.
  4. Add vermicelli; cook 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the flour-water slurry, stirring constantly to thicken without lumps.
  5. Off heat, stir in lemon juice. Serve very hot with a date on the side; the Moroccan ritual is to bite the date, then take the first spoonful.

Tip from the editors. The tadouira (flour-water slurry) is what makes harira velvety. Whisk constantly as you pour it in; lumps mean wasted soup.

Where to eat harira

Harira in Marrakech

Jemaa el-Fna Harira Stalls ★ 4.4

Moroccan$jemaa-el-fnaDaily 18:00-00:00

Marrakech's harira stalls at Jemaa el-Fna feed the city for 10 to 15 MAD a bowl; communal benches, fresh khobz, the cheapest meal that still feels generous.

Try: Harira chickpea-lentil broth with dates and khobz

Tip: Bring small bills; price is fixed but unfamiliar tourists get higher quotes. Eat at the bench, not standing up.

Place Jemaa el-Fna, evening soup stalls, Marrakech 40000

Amal Center Gueliz ★ 4.5

Moroccan$$guelizMon-Sat 12:00-15:30; closed Sunday

Amal Center Gueliz is a moroccan room in Gueliz. Lunch only, closed Sundays. The training kitchen is open to view from the dining room; book ahead.

Why locals love it: A Marrakech non-profit lunch room in Gueliz that doubles as a women's culinary training centre; locals know it, most visitors miss it past the medina.

Tip: Lunch only, closed Sundays. The training kitchen is open to view from the dining room; book ahead.

Rue Allal Ben Ahmed et Rue Ibn Sina, Gueliz, Marrakech 40000

Le Tobsil ★ 4.5

Moroccan$$$$Set tasting 650 MADmedinaWed-Mon 19:30-00:00; closed TuesdayBook 1 week ahead

Le Tobsil in Marrakech's R'mila medina runs the canonical Moroccan tasting: 11 to 13 salads, pigeon pastilla, lamb tagine, in a candle-lit Gnaoua-music riad.

Signature: 11 Moroccan salads, Pigeon pastilla, Lamb tagine couscous

Tip: Closed Tuesdays. Set menu only; live Gnaoua music. Pace yourself, the salads alone are dinner.

22 Derb Abdullah Ben Hessaien, R'mila, Marrakech 40000

More cities are in research. Want harira covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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