Spice Market Themed Dinner menu
Spice Market Dinner Party — A Ras el Hanout Themed Feast
A spice-market dinner leans into the thing Morocco is most famous for: its aromatic, layered spicing, above all the legendary blend ras el hanout, 'head of the shop', which can hold thirty or more spices. This themed feast runs spice through every course — warm spiced nuts, a ras-el-hanout-scented soup, honeyed mrouzia lamb heavy with the blend, and a cardamom-orange dessert. It is a celebration of the souk's aromatic heart. Below are the courses, a shopping list and a timeline. See the recipes and a how-to on building your own ras el hanout.
The menu
To nibble
Warm spiced almonds and olives
Almonds toasted with cumin, paprika and ras el hanout, and olives warmed with garlic and chilli, handed round with tea.
Soup
Spiced pumpkin and chickpea soup
A velvety soup scented with ras el hanout, ginger and cinnamon to open the aromatic evening.
Main
Mrouzia — honeyed lamb with ras el hanout
The most spice-forward Moroccan dish: lamb slow-cooked with a heavy dose of ras el hanout, honey, raisins and almonds.
Side
Saffron couscous with toasted spices
Buttery couscous coloured with saffron and finished with toasted cumin and a little more ras el hanout.
Dessert
Cardamom-and-orange dessert with pistachios
Oranges scented with cardamom and orange-blossom, scattered with pistachios — fragrant to close.
Drink
Spiced mint tea and cinnamon coffee
Mint tea, and a small cup of cinnamon-and-pepper spiced coffee to end on an aromatic note.
Shopping list
- A good ras el hanout blend (or whole spices to grind your own)
- Almonds, olives, garlic and chilli (for the nibbles)
- Pumpkin, chickpeas, ginger and cinnamon (for the soup)
- Lamb shoulder, honey, raisins and blanched almonds (for mrouzia)
- Couscous, butter and saffron
- Oranges, cardamom, orange-blossom water and pistachios
- Cumin, paprika and coriander seed
- Onion and fresh coriander
- Coffee, cinnamon and black pepper
- Green tea and fresh mint
Prep timeline
-
Day before
Grind your ras el hanout if making your own; cook the mrouzia base and let it rest overnight to deepen.
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Afternoon
Make the spiced soup; toast the spiced almonds.
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1 hour before
Reheat and finish the mrouzia with honey and almonds; steam the saffron couscous.
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30 minutes before
Warm the olives; prepare the cardamom-orange dessert.
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To serve
Open with spiced nuts and tea, then soup, then mrouzia and couscous, closing with the dessert and spiced coffee.
Host's tips
- Ras el hanout is the star — buy a good fresh blend from a spice merchant, or grind your own for the best aroma.
- Toast whole spices before grinding to wake up their oils; it makes an enormous difference to the whole menu.
- Mrouzia is intensely spiced and sweet; a little goes a long way, so serve modest portions.
- Bloom the ground spices in oil at the start of each dish to release their flavour fully.
- Carry the spice theme right through to the coffee — cinnamon and pepper make an aromatic finish.
Questions about this menu
What is ras el hanout?
A complex Moroccan spice blend whose name means 'head of the shop' — the merchant's best mix. It can contain twenty to forty spices, including cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, rose and more. Every shop's blend differs.
What dish best shows off ras el hanout?
Mrouzia — a slow-cooked lamb with honey, raisins and almonds that is built around a heavy dose of ras el hanout. It is the most spice-forward dish in the Moroccan repertoire.
Should I buy or make ras el hanout?
A good fresh blend from a spice merchant is excellent and convenient. Grinding your own from toasted whole spices gives the most vivid aroma, and lets you balance it to taste.
How do I get the most flavour from Moroccan spices?
Toast whole spices before grinding, and bloom ground spices in warm oil at the start of cooking. Both steps release the aromatic oils and deepen the flavour of the finished dish.
Is a spice-forward Moroccan menu very hot?
No. Moroccan spicing is aromatic and warming rather than fiery — cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamom. Heat from chilli is usually a separate condiment (harissa) added to taste, not built into the blend.
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.