3 min read
Moroccan cooking classes: what you'll actually learn
Usually a tagine, almost always a trip to the souk first.
Most Moroccan cooking classes start before the kitchen: a guided walk through a spice souk or market to see (and smell) the ingredients that go into the dishes you'll make, from preserved lemons to the specific blend of spices in ras el hanout.
The centrepiece dish is almost always a tagine, named for the conical clay pot it's cooked in, typically chicken or lamb with vegetables and a specific spice combination: you'll usually also make a Moroccan salad, bread, and sometimes a dessert like a fruit and nut pastry.
Classes are typically hands-on rather than demonstration-only, run in small groups or privately in a riad kitchen, and end with eating what you've made: usually the best part, and a good reason to book a class for lunch rather than as a standalone activity.
No cooking experience is expected or required; the techniques (a slow braise, hand-chopping rather than complicated knife work) are approachable for complete beginners, which is part of why it's one of our more consistently well-reviewed add-ons.
Planning around Marrakech? Read the Marrakech destination guide or see 6-Day Sahara Desert Tour: Marrakech to Fez, a sample itinerary that includes it.
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6-Day Sahara Desert Tour: Marrakech to Fez
A private route over the Atlas passes and down into the Sahara, with two nights to actually sit still in the dunes instead of rushing through them. We end in Fez instead of backtracking to Marrakech, so every day moves forward.
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Read articleTours that include this
4-Day Atlas Mountains Tour from Marrakech
A short trip into the High Atlas for travellers who want mountain villages and walking trails without giving up a whole week. Based out of a valley guesthouse, with day walks between Berber villages and irrigated terraces.
4-Day Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakech
For travellers with four days, not eight. The same dunes as our longer routes, reached and left by the most direct road, with one full day to actually be there.
4-Day Marrakech to Essaouira Coastal Tour
A short trip for travellers who want the medina experience without the desert heat: two nights by the Atlantic in Essaouira, an easy two-and-a-half-hour drive from Marrakech.