Mechoui is whole lamb slow-roasted in an underground wood-fired pit oven for four hours until the meat pulls apart at the touch; served by weight on paper, seasoned at the table with cumin and salt.

Mechoui (Arabic: roasted) descends from the nomadic Bedouin and Berber tradition of pit-roasting whole sheep for tribal feasts. In Marrakech the dish concentrated in the alley off Sidi Bouchakour, just north of Jemaa el-Fna, where eight to nine specialist counters now run the same coal-fired pits dug centuries deep into the ground. Mechoui is the canonical Marrakech feast meat, central to Eid al-Adha (the June 16-18 sheep-slaughter holiday in 2026).

Where to eat Mechoui in Marrakech

3 editor picks for Mechoui in Marrakech, ranked by editorial score. All Marrakech signature dishes · Mechoui across every city.

Book food experiences in Marrakech

See all 2219 food experiences in Marrakech

Make it at home

Serves Serves 85 hrAdvanced

Ingredients

  • 1 whole lamb shoulder or leg, about 3 kg
  • 200 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • Coarse sea salt and extra ground cumin, for serving
  • Round khobz bread, for serving

Method

  1. Combine butter, cumin, coriander, paprika, ginger and salt to a paste. Rub it generously over the lamb shoulder, working into every crevice.
  2. Heat oven to 150C/300F. Place lamb on a rack over a tray of 500 ml water (the water keeps the meat moist and catches the drippings).
  3. Roast 4 to 5 hours, basting every 45 minutes with pan juices, until the meat shreds with a fork.
  4. Rest for 15 minutes off the heat. Pull or carve the meat onto a serving platter.
  5. Serve with bowls of coarse salt and ground cumin alongside; tear the khobz and use it as a scoop.

Editor tip. True mechoui needs a wood-fired pit; an oven is the best compromise at home. Don't skip the basting; the surface dries fast at the low temperature.