Class type
Moroccan Salads & Mezze Class in Marrakech
Before the tagine arrives, a Moroccan table fills with little salads — smoky, spiced, sweet and sharp bowls of cooked and raw vegetables that are, for many, the best part of the meal. A salads and mezze class hands you a whole repertoire of these, most of them vegan, all of them useful long after the trip.
- Duration
- 2.5–3.5 hours
- Group size
- Small group or private (2–10)
- Level
- All levels — knife-work friendly
- Price
- Budget to mid-range
What this class covers
The cooked salads are the revelation. Zaalouk melts aubergine and tomato with garlic, cumin and paprika into a smoky jam; taktouka does the same with grilled peppers and tomato; a slow-cooked carrot salad turns sweet with cumin and a little harissa. These keep for days and taste better on day two.
The raw and quick salads add colour and sharpness: shaved carrot with orange-blossom, beetroot with cumin, tomato-and-onion, and a bright herb-flecked lentil salad. Together they teach you how Moroccans balance a table — smoky against fresh, sweet against sour.
It is a knife-work class more than a technique marathon, which makes it approachable and genuinely practical. These are the dishes you will actually cook again at home, because they are quick, cheap and mostly plant-based.
What you'll cook
- Zaalouk — Smoky cooked aubergine and tomato with cumin, garlic and paprika.
- Taktouka — Grilled pepper and tomato salad, gently spiced.
- Carrot-cumin salad — Cooked-sweet or raw-shaved, both classics.
- Beetroot and lentil salads — Colour, sharpness and protein to round out the spread.
How the class runs & how long it takes
A typical session runs about 2.5–3.5 hours. Here is the usual shape of the day:
- 1
Prep the vegetables
Char peppers and aubergine, chop and grate the raw salads.
- 2
Cook the smoky salads
Reduce zaalouk and taktouka to jammy, spiced dips.
- 3
Dress the fresh ones
Season and dress the carrot, beetroot and lentil salads.
- 4
Build the spread
Lay out the full mezze and eat it with bread.
What to expect
Expect a practical, knife-work-led class rather than a single showpiece — you leave with 5–8 dishes, not one.
Expect most of the spread to be naturally vegan and to keep for days, so it is genuinely useful at home.
Usually included
- Seasonal vegetables and spices
- Cooking session
- A full mezze spread to eat
- Recipes
Who this class suits
- Everyday home cooks who want a real repertoire
- Vegetarians and vegans
- Anyone who loves the salad course most
- Budget-minded and beginner cooks
How to choose the right class
- Confirm how many salads are covered — the value is in the variety.
- Ask which cooked salads are included; zaalouk is the must-have.
- This pairs perfectly with a tagine or couscous class for a full meal.
- Flag allergies — nuts and sesame appear in some dressings.
Frequently asked questions
What are Moroccan salads?
They are the spread of little cooked and raw vegetable dishes that open a Moroccan meal — like smoky zaalouk (aubergine), taktouka (peppers), carrot-cumin and beetroot. Most are naturally vegan and keep for days.
Is a salads and mezze class good value?
Very — you leave with five to eight genuinely useful, mostly vegan dishes rather than a single main. They are cheap, quick and the ones most people actually cook again at home.
What is zaalouk?
Zaalouk is a cooked Moroccan salad of aubergine and tomato reduced with garlic, cumin and paprika into a smoky, jammy dip eaten with bread. It is the star of most mezze spreads.
Try the recipes at home
Booked, or just browsing? These free step-by-step recipes cover the dishes this class teaches: