- Tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas and vermicelli
- Celery, parsley, coriander, onion and garlic
- Ginger, turmeric, black pepper and cinnamon
- Tedouira (flour-and-water thickener)
Harira
A bowl of harira soup with lentils, chickpeas and vermicelli. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Harira is the soup of Ramadan: a thick tomato, lentil and chickpea soup, enriched with vermicelli and fresh herbs, that Moroccans eat at iftar to break the fast. During Ramadan it is everywhere; the rest of the year it is the classic starter.
The body comes from tedouira, a slurry of flour and water whisked in at the end. It is served with dates, chebakia (sesame-honey cookies) and hard-boiled eggs during Ramadan.
Key ingredients
Where to try it
- Everywhere during Ramadan, from street stalls to hotel buffets.
- Casablanca and Rabat cafés serve it year-round as a starter.
- Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech: soup sellers work the square at dusk.