Soups & starters
Harira
حريرة · ḥarīra
Harira is Morocco's national soup: a thick, tangy, deeply spiced broth of tomato, lentils, chickpeas and often a little lamb, finished with fresh coriander and a silky thickener of flour or fermented starter. Nourishing and restorative, it is above all the sound of Ramadan — the dish that breaks the fast at sunset in nearly every Moroccan home.
- Origin
- Across Morocco
- Type
- Thick spiced soup
- Eaten at
- Ramadan iftar, cold evenings
- Key flavour
- Tomato, ginger, coriander, celery
What Harira is
Harira is a hearty soup built on a tomato base with brown lentils, chickpeas, softened onion and celery, warmed with ginger, pepper, turmeric and a lift of cinnamon, and made lush with a whole bunch of fresh coriander. Small pieces of lamb or beef are common but not essential, which makes harira easy to cook meat-free.
What sets it apart is the thickening: a mixture called tedouira — flour (sometimes with a little yeast, left to ferment slightly) whisked with water and stirred in at the end — gives harira its characteristic velvety body and gentle tang. A squeeze of lemon at the table sharpens the whole bowl.
Origin & story
Harira is inseparable from Ramadan. After a day of fasting, Moroccans traditionally break the fast with dates and a bowl of harira, its warmth and protein gently restarting the body before the larger meal. The smell of harira simmering in the late afternoon is one of the defining sensory memories of the holy month.
But it is not only a Ramadan dish — it is eaten year-round as a warming supper, sold cheaply at soup stalls, and served at weddings and after funerals as a restorative for a crowd. Its exact recipe is a point of family pride, argued over from house to house.
Key ingredients at a glance
- Ripe tomatoes, blended to a base
- Brown lentils and chickpeas
- A little lamb or beef (optional)
- Onion, celery and a large bunch of fresh coriander
- Ginger, turmeric, pepper and a touch of cinnamon
- Tedouira — a flour (and sometimes yeast) thickener
- Vermicelli or a little rice; lemon to finish
This is a flavour snapshot, not a recipe. For quantities and method, see the full recipe linked below.
When & how it's eaten
Harira is served hot in individual bowls or cups and drunk almost as much as it is spooned — during Ramadan it is often sipped straight from a small bowl. It is the opener that breaks the fast, paired with a date or two, sticky chebakia, a boiled egg and a wedge of lemon, before the main meal follows.
Outside Ramadan it is a complete light meal in itself, especially on cold evenings, eaten with bread and perhaps a handful of dried figs. Street soup stalls ladle it out well into the night.
Regional variations
The great divide is the thickener and the base: some cooks make harira tomato-red and tangy, others keep it paler and more lentil-forward. Fassi (Fez) harira is famously refined; rural versions are heartier and meatier. A related lighter soup, bissara, takes over in some homes.
Vegetarian harira simply drops the meat — the lentils, chickpeas and tomato carry it easily. Vermicelli, broken rice or neither are all regional choices.
Where to try it in Marrakech
Harira is everywhere, but at its best in Ramadan or from the humble soup stalls around Jemaa el-Fnaa in the evening, where a bowl costs very little. A harira soup food tour or a Ramadan food tour takes you to the pots locals trust.
To cook it, a harira and soup cooking class teaches the tedouira thickener, and our harira recipe gives exact quantities. Traditionally it is eaten with dates and chebakia — read more in the guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is harira eaten with during Ramadan?
It's the dish that breaks the fast, served with dates, a boiled egg, a wedge of lemon and sweet sesame-and-honey chebakia — the sweet-salty pairing is classic at iftar.
Is harira vegetarian?
It can easily be. The soup is built on tomato, lentils and chickpeas; the small amount of lamb or beef is optional, and many families make a meat-free version, especially outside Ramadan.
What makes harira thick and velvety?
A thickener called tedouira — flour (sometimes lightly fermented with yeast) whisked with water and stirred in near the end. It gives harira its signature silky body without cream.