Moroccan Winter soup – harira

During the chilly winters of Marrakech, where the temperature drops from 40°C Summer highs to below 8°C, there is one Moroccan delicacy that you will see on almost every dinner table, this is Harira soup.

Any local Marrakshi will tell you that the best harira soup is home-made, usually consisting of flour, lentils, cermicelli, beans, tomatoes and occasionally meat balls. The ingredients to Harira can often change depending on which corner of Morocco it’s being made, but it’s nearly always fragrantly seasoned with pepper, ginger and cinnamon.

There is a tradition within the communities of Marrakech whereupon the ingredients for Harira are always purchased after the day of work and before the start of the evening.

In a corner of the Dar Habiba district, there lives an old woman named Fatima and her daughter. Every day Fatima sells more than 150 bowls of harira soup, served with traditional Moroccan bread and eggs.

Harira soup is available at most restaurants and open air stalls in Marrakech, explore the red city and Moroccan cuisine today in one of our luxury Hotel Riads.