Travel tip: Vegan in Morocco!

Eating a whole food, plant based diet is a challenge when traveling. Especially when you travel to countries where meat and fish are considered an important part of a diet. And where eating meat is a sign of wealth and modernity. I was a bit apprehensive when L. and me decided to go and live in Morocco and wondered if we would be able to keep up our diet.
The owners of the surf house we worked for didn't really understand the concept and were not very hospitable and willing to cater to our needs, so we had to fend four ourselves. Quite a challenge when you are working six days a week! Luckily, Morocco is a land of abundance considering veggies. The staple foods are, depending on the season, potatoes, carrots, beets, cucumber, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, onions, citrus fruits, squash, dates, herbs as coriander and mint, almonds and bananas, so many bananas! Two villages down the road of where we lived is actually nicknamed 'BananaVillage' because of the banana plantations in the estuary. Al these veggies, herbs, fruits and nuts make up quite a nice mix and there are many possibilities to make nice, big salads.

Taghazout

We brought our trusted nutri bullit with us, so we could make our own almond milk and smoothies, and managed to get our hands on a juicer from Marjane, the big supermarche in Agadir. Eating at home is thus quite easy. It does get a little boring after a while though, especially because the market is very seasonal and only offers a limited array of fruits and veggies that are in season. The best place to go in Taghazout is the famous 'Hassan Legumes' which is located next to the pizza place on the main square in town. While eating seasonal and local is a great habit in my opinion, L. and me started to miss leafy greens, as they are not much grown in Morocco. Luckily we stumbled upon Patricia, an elderly French lady who has been living in the country for ages and owns an organic farm in the South near Sidi Ifni called 'Domaine de Khenfouf'. Every two weeks Patricia comes to Taghazout to sell her wonderful produce to the better surf camps and hotels in town. Every time we would order a surprise basket and a big box of leafy greens (al kinds of lettuce, mustard leaves, rocket etc). If you stay for a little while longer and want to self cater I strongly suggest getting Patrcia's number and order from her!


Things get a little harder when you try to eat out though. In Taghazout, where L. and me lived, they soon got to know us. Usually the will to cater to every customer is there with all the cooks, but most simply don't understand why you wouldn't want to eat fish, meat, milk and eggs. All over Taghazout, but also most other towns, there are plenty of juice / smoothie places.  Make sure though to specifically order without milk & sugar, because that is what's usually thrown in. In most other places it's always possible to order 'salade marocaine', a tasty mix of tomato, onion, coriander and cucumber. Sometimes there are other side salads too, with cooked beets, carrots and maize. Make sure to ask for separate dressing, because these usually contain milk and / or eggs. Then the other option, if you don't eat wheat like L. and me, is Tajine. This is usually a great option and a lovely local dish from a clay pot that has been on a stove for some hours, containing potato, squash / gourd, carrot, peas, olives and spices. This is mainly eaten as a lunch dish but there are places in touristy towns that serve them for dinner too. Again, make sure that you make clear you don't want any meat or fish whatsoever, and place emphasis on the fact you don't want any chicken either (for some reason chicken does not count as meat haha).

There are some places in Morocco where asking for vegan options is not frowned upon though. In Taghazout there are the two Surf Maroc restaurants, L'Auberge and Mouja (read more here...) that have several vegan options and are not afraid to change their dishes or come up with one especially for you! Of course, the bigger cities have a little more options. One very nice restaurant in Agadir is Le Jardin d'Eau. They offer a nice menu with lots of organic food, and many vegetarian options that can be served vegan if you ask. And for all you alcohol lovers out there: they have beer. And wine. They have singer too, who does not grasp every word of the English songs he sings. My advice: try to sit on the terrace if the weather permits.

Marrakech

In Marrakech, my favorite place is Earth Cafe, for many years the only vegan place in Marrakech. They offer a few dishes that are all lovely, and you can take your vegetarian friends because they will throw in a little local goats cheese when asked. They have two locations, I've only managed to find the one in the old centre though. My absolute favorite is the B'stilla, a vegan take on a Moroccan classic! A few years back there was talk of a raw food restaurant opening up in the city, called Les Trois Saveurs. As far as I could / can see from their website they are not a raw food restaurant so I never bother to go and check in real life, instead I was munching away in Earth Cafe haha. If you want to enjoy the experience of street food on Djma El Fna, I have heard stall no 1. sells some vegan options too, apparently they use vegetable broth for some of their dishes instead on bone / meat broth. Worth the investigation, tell me in the comments if you have eaten here.

Essaouira

Then Essaouira... the windy city. One of the best towns to go to if you ask me! L. and me took a little weekend away before we moved back to the Netherlands and I think there's nothing quite like it in Morocco. The lovely hippy vibe, the friendly locals, the juice woman in the harbor who squeezes a fresh juice for 5DH, the lovely blind woodworker who carves the most beautiful spoons... I could go on and on but I think it is sufficient to say I love the place. There are a few nice places in the city. My absolute favorite for years is Triskala. A small and quirky place in a side street off one of the main road. The restaurant is like a cave with all small nooks and crannies, where you sit on cushions on the floor. Try to get one of the upstairs seats, so cosy. They offer a great vegetarian menu that changes everyday. Some things never change though and my favorite is the falafel plate, made vegan on request. They have lovely juices too. Make sure you get there in the afternoon the make a booking for the evening as it is a popular place and quickly fills up. In the touristy season they are open for lunch too.  New kid in town, Loft, is a very hip place. The interior consists of a mix between vintage en contemporary Moroccan. Their menu looks quite ordinary and expensive at first sight. However, this place is worth every dirham you spend. They have a great modern take on classic Moroccan dishes and friendly staff too. Vegan on request. And last but not least, there's Yoo, a place that serves cold pressed juices and nice (vegan) sandwiches. They are located in a cute little square where it's lovely to sit in the sun. If I go to Essaouira, I always stay at the most amazing read in town, Riad Thais. Owned by a sweet French couple they cater their breakfast to vegans on request and the road has it's own hammam! They can have Fatima from the local hammam come over and give you and your partner or friend a private 'gommage', definitely worth it!
☞ If you want more information and/ or rates, please let me know, I can get you a discount on your stay!

What are your experiences traveling as a vegan (in Morocco)? Do you have any tips to add? Leave a comment!

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