Travel tips
Where to Eat in Ouarzazate and the Draa Valley
Ouarzazate is where the mountains give way to the desert, and its food changes with the landscape. This is the edge of the Sahara — palm-grove dates, hardy Amazigh tagines, bread baked in the sand and the stuffed medfouna of the oasis towns. The cooking is simpler and more frugal than the north, shaped by heat, distance and what the oases can grow.
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- Travel tips
- Updated
- 20 July 2026
At a glance
- The Draa Valley is one of Morocco's great date-growing regions.
- Amazigh tagines here are simple, hearty and often cooked over wood or charcoal.
- Medfouna, the stuffed 'Berber pizza', is the specialty of the nearby oasis towns.
- Portions are frugal and honest — this is desert-edge, oasis cooking.
Dates from the Draa
South of Ouarzazate, the Draa Valley threads a ribbon of date palms through the desert, and dates are the region's pride. The harvest in autumn brings varieties from soft and honeyed to firm and dry, sold along the road and in the oasis markets. A handful of dates with a glass of mint tea is the traditional welcome, and it is the best place in the country to buy them at the source — see our dates buyer's guide.
Tagines and desert cooking
The everyday food here is the tagine — chicken or lamb with vegetables, olives and preserved lemon, slow-cooked over charcoal — plus lentils, bread and the occasional couscous. Kasbahs and guesthouses along the routes to Merzouga and the Dades and Todra gorges serve set dinners built around these dishes, often eaten by lamplight in a courtyard.
- Vegetable and meat tagines: the staple, cooked slow and simple.
- Berber omelette: eggs cooked in a tomato-and-onion tagine base.
- Khobz and oasis bread: sometimes baked in hot sand on the desert routes.
- Mint tea and dates: the standard welcome and close to a meal.
Medfouna, the Berber pizza
Further southeast, around Rissani and the Tafilalt oases, the specialty is medfouna — a flat, round bread stuffed with spiced minced meat, onions, almonds and herbs, then baked, often buried in embers (its name means 'buried'). Frequently called 'Berber pizza' for tourists, it is a genuine oasis dish worth seeking out if your route takes you that far south.
Eating on the desert route
Meals here cluster around the kasbah guesthouses and roadside stops rather than a food scene you browse — book dinner where you sleep, and buy dates and nuts for the road. Keep expectations frugal and warm rather than elaborate; this is survival-smart oasis cooking done with real hospitality. For the wider tradition, see our Amazigh cuisine guide.
Frequently asked questions
What food is the Ouarzazate region known for?
Dates from the Draa Valley palm groves, simple Amazigh tagines cooked over charcoal, and — in the oasis towns further south like Rissani — medfouna, the stuffed 'Berber pizza'. It is frugal, hearty desert-edge cooking.
What is medfouna?
Medfouna is a round flatbread stuffed with spiced minced meat, onions, almonds and herbs, then baked — traditionally buried in embers, which is what its name means. It is a specialty of the Tafilalt oasis region around Rissani and is often marketed to visitors as 'Berber pizza'.
Where do I eat on the way to the desert?
Mostly at the kasbah guesthouses and roadside stops along the routes to Merzouga and the gorges, which serve set tagine dinners. There is no browsable food scene as such, so it is best to book dinner where you stay and buy dates and nuts for the road.
Are the Draa Valley dates worth buying?
Yes. The Draa is one of Morocco's great date regions, and buying at the source in the oasis markets gets you fresher fruit and a wider range of varieties than city shops. Autumn, after the harvest, is the best time.