How-to guide
How to Eat with Your Hands, Moroccan Style — Bread, Tagine and Etiquette
Much Moroccan food is eaten by hand, using bread as a scoop from a shared central dish, and doing it gracefully is part of enjoying a meal as a guest. There is a simple etiquette — eat with the right hand, keep to your own section of the communal plate, and let bread do the work — that is easy to follow once you know it. Far from awkward, it is a warm, sociable way to eat. This guide covers the essentials. To make the all-important bread, see how to make khobz.
About 5 minutes to learn
Step by step
- 1
Wash your hands first
Since you will eat with your hands, hands are washed before the meal, sometimes with water poured over them at the table. Clean hands are both practical and part of the courtesy of a shared meal. Wash again afterwards; food eaten by hand naturally means a rinse at either end.
- 2
Use your right hand
Eat and pass food with the right hand, following a widespread custom; the left is traditionally kept for other purposes and not used for taking food. If you are left-handed, do your best to use your right hand for eating and sharing from the communal dish, which is the polite norm.
- 3
Let bread be your utensil
Tear off a piece of khobz and use it, pinched between thumb and fingers, to scoop up meat, sauce and vegetables from the dish. The bread is your fork and spoon. This is why Moroccan bread has a sturdy crumb and crust — it is built to scoop and soak up sauce.
- 4
Eat from your own section
When sharing a central tagine or couscous, eat from the part of the dish directly in front of you rather than reaching across into others' areas. Hosts often nudge the best morsels of meat towards guests. Keeping to your wedge of the shared plate is a basic and important courtesy.
- 5
Pace yourself and accept hospitality
Meals are unhurried and sociable. Eat at a relaxed pace, and expect to be offered more; a good appetite honours the host. It is polite to accept at least some of what is pressed on you. A little left on your plate or the dish can signal you have had plenty.
- 6
Finish graciously
Thank your host warmly. Praising the food and the cook is always welcome. Round the meal off with the mint tea that traditionally follows, and wash your hands again. A guest who eats with evident enjoyment and gratitude is the most appreciated of all.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using the left hand to take or pass food, which breaks the custom.
- Reaching across the shared dish into other people's sections.
- Ignoring the bread and asking for cutlery when hands are the norm.
- Refusing all offers of more, which can seem to slight the host's hospitality.
- Rushing through what is meant to be a leisurely, sociable meal.
Tips from the kitchen
- Wash your hands before and after; eating by hand assumes it.
- Keep to the right hand for eating and sharing.
- Pinch the food with bread rather than using bare fingers where you can.
- Eat from the part of the shared dish in front of you.
- Accept at least a little when offered more, and praise the cook.
Questions
Why do Moroccans eat with their right hand?
It follows a long-standing custom, common across the region, in which the right hand is used for eating and passing food while the left is reserved for other purposes. Keeping to the right hand at a shared meal is a basic courtesy. If you are left-handed, it is polite to make the effort to use your right.
How do you eat a tagine with bread?
Tear off a piece of khobz, pinch it between your thumb and fingers, and use it to scoop up meat, vegetables and sauce from the dish, letting the bread act as your fork and spoon. The bread's sturdy crumb is made for this. Eat from the section of the shared tagine directly in front of you.
Is it rude to ask for cutlery?
It is not usually taken as an offence, and cutlery is often available, but eating with bread from the shared dish is the norm and part of the experience. Giving it a try is appreciated and shows willingness to join in. For couscous, spoons are commonly used, so customs vary a little by dish.
What are the main table manners to know?
Wash your hands first, eat with your right hand, use bread to scoop, and take food only from the part of the communal dish in front of you. Eat at a relaxed pace, accept at least some when offered more, and thank and praise the cook. These few courtesies cover most of what matters.
Learn it hands-on in Marrakech
Reading is one thing; doing it beside a local host is another. Book a Marrakech cooking class, or explore the medina on a guided food tour.