Mezze Spread menu
Moroccan Mezze and Starters Spread — A Table of Small Dishes
Rather than one starter course, a Moroccan table often opens with four or five small cooked salads set out together, eaten with bread rather than cutlery, closer in spirit to a mezze spread than a single appetiser. This menu focuses entirely on that opening course, expanded enough to stand as a light meal on its own. The individual salad dishes are covered in more depth if you want the exact method for each.
The menu
Salad
Zaalouk (smoky aubergine and tomato)
Cooked down until soft and jammy, one of the most popular of all the cooked salads.
Salad
Taktouka (pepper and tomato)
Roasted or grilled peppers simmered with tomato and garlic until thick.
Salad
Carrot salad with cumin and orange-blossom water
A sweeter counterpoint to the smokier salads either side of it.
Salad
Cooked beetroot salad with orange
Adds colour and a different texture to the spread, less common but well worth including.
Dip
Marinated olives and preserved lemon
Not cooked, but essential to round out the table's range of flavours.
Bread
Warm khobz, torn rather than sliced
The only utensil this course needs — everything is scooped by hand.
Shopping list
- Aubergines and tomatoes for zaalouk
- Green peppers and extra tomatoes for taktouka
- Carrots, cumin and orange-blossom water
- Beetroot and an orange
- Mixed olives and preserved lemon
- Garlic, olive oil and fresh coriander throughout
- Bread or flour to bake khobz
- Small serving bowls
Prep timeline
-
2 days before
Cook the zaalouk and taktouka — both deepen in flavour after a day or two resting in the fridge.
-
Day before
Make the carrot and beetroot salads, and marinate the olives if not using ready-marinated ones.
-
Morning of
Bring all the salads out of the fridge in good time so they come to room temperature.
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30 minutes before
Bake or warm the bread and arrange the salads in small bowls across the table.
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At serving
Set everything out at once rather than in courses — this spread is meant to be eaten all together.
Host's tips
- Nearly every cooked salad in this spread improves with a day or two resting in the fridge, so make them well ahead.
- Serve at room temperature, not cold from the fridge — the flavours are noticeably flatter straight out of the chill.
- Aim for a mix of textures and colours across the bowls — smooth zaalouk, chunkier taktouka, and something raw like olives gives the table variety.
- Tear the bread rather than slicing it neatly; it is the traditional way to eat this course and simply works better for scooping.
- This spread can easily stand alone as a light lunch, not only as a starter before a larger meal.
Questions about this menu
What is a Moroccan mezze spread called locally?
There is no single fixed name — it is usually just referred to as salads, or the starters, but the format of several small cooked dishes served together is a genuine and common way Moroccan meals begin.
Can these salads be made vegan?
Yes, without any adjustment — the classic versions of zaalouk, taktouka, carrot and beetroot salad are all made with olive oil rather than butter, so they are naturally plant-based already.
How long do Moroccan cooked salads keep?
Most keep well for three to four days refrigerated in a sealed container, and several, particularly zaalouk and taktouka, are considered better on the second day than freshly made.
How many salads make a proper spread?
Four or five varied salads is typical for a generous table, though even two or three, served with bread and olives, makes a satisfying light starter or lunch.
What is eaten with these salads instead of cutlery?
Warm bread, torn into pieces and used to scoop each salad, is the traditional utensil. Cutlery is not usually needed or expected for this course.
Learn to cook this menu with a local in Marrakech
Every dish here is taught, hands-on, in a Marrakech cooking class — or taste them across the medina on a guided food tour.