Soups & starters
Chorba
شربة · shorba
Chorba is harira's lighter relative: a tomato-based soup of vegetables, herbs and often a little lamb, thinner and more broth-forward than harira's thick, lentil-and-tedouira body, usually carrying a handful of vermicelli rather than a hearty legume base. It is common on family tables and at Ramadan alongside its richer cousin.
- Origin
- Across Morocco, especially the east
- Type
- Light tomato-vegetable soup
- Eaten at
- Ramadan, everyday starters, cold days
- Key flavour
- Tomato, vermicelli, fresh herbs
What Chorba is
Chorba is built on a lighter tomato and vegetable base than harira — carrot, celery, courgette and onion simmered down with tomato, sometimes a little lamb, and a good handful of fresh coriander and parsley, with vermicelli or broken noodles added for body rather than lentils or a flour thickener.
The result is thinner and brothier, closer to a classic vegetable-noodle soup than harira's thick, almost stew-like consistency, making it an easier, quicker everyday soup to put together.
Origin & story
Chorba (from the same root as the Turkish and Balkan çorba/shorba found across the wider Ottoman-influenced world) is cooked across Morocco but is especially associated with the eastern regions near Oujda, where culinary ties to Algeria are strongest and lighter, vermicelli-based soups are more common than the thick lentil harira of the west.
It shares harira's role as a fast-breaking soup during Ramadan in many households, sometimes served on alternate nights or in addition to harira for variety, and as a simple, quick starter or light meal the rest of the year.
Key ingredients at a glance
- Tomato, carrot, celery and courgette
- A little lamb or chicken (optional)
- Vermicelli or broken noodles
- Fresh coriander and parsley
- Onion and garlic
- Black pepper and a little ginger
This is a flavour snapshot, not a recipe.
When & how it's eaten
Served hot in a bowl, chorba is spooned rather than scooped with bread, though bread is served alongside; during Ramadan it is drunk to break the fast much like harira, often with dates on the side.
Outside Ramadan it is a simple, quick starter or light lunch, valued for being faster to make than harira since it needs no flour thickener or long lentil simmer.
Regional variations
Some versions add a squeeze of lemon or a beaten egg stirred through at the end for extra body; the vegetables shift with the season and the region. A meatier version with lamb shoulder pieces is more filling.
It sits directly beside harira in Morocco's soup repertoire — thinner, quicker and more vegetable-forward where harira is thick, tangy and legume-based.
Where to try it in Marrakech
Chorba is easy to find at simple neighbourhood cafés and soup stalls alongside harira, particularly during Ramadan — a Ramadan food tour will show you both soups side by side.
A harira and soup cooking class typically covers chorba as harira's lighter counterpart — read more about Morocco's soup traditions in the guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between chorba and harira?
Chorba is a lighter, brothier tomato-and-vegetable soup with vermicelli, while harira is thicker, built on lentils and chickpeas, and finished with a flour-based thickener called tedouira.
Is chorba served during Ramadan?
Yes, often alongside or as an alternative to harira, particularly in eastern Morocco, where lighter vermicelli soups are a common way to break the fast.
Is chorba vegetarian?
It can easily be — the base is tomato, vegetables and herbs, with meat as an optional addition rather than a requirement.