Moroccan · Main course

Mrouzia (Sweet Lamb Tagine with Raisins & Honey)

Mrouzia is the richest of Morocco's sweet tagines — lamb cooked down with a heavy hand of ras el hanout, honey, raisins and fried almonds until dark, sticky and intensely spiced. It is the dish of Eid al-Adha: the abundance of honey and spice was traditionally a way to preserve the sacrificial meat for days without refrigeration, and its deep sweetness marks the feast.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 130 min
Total: 150 min
Serves: 5
Level: Medium

Mrouzia (Sweet Lamb Tagine with Raisins & Honey)

Ingredients

1 kg lamb shoulder or leg, on the bone, in large pieces
2 onions, finely grated
2 tbsp ras el hanout (the fuller the blend the better)
1 tsp ground ginger, 1 cinnamon stick, pinch of saffron, black pepper
3 tbsp smen or butter, plus 2 tbsp olive oil
250 g raisins, rinsed
3–4 tbsp honey
150 g whole almonds, blanched and fried until golden
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Salt

Method

1

Season and colour

Rub the lamb with the grated onion, ras el hanout, ginger, saffron, pepper and salt. Warm the smen and oil in a heavy pot or tagine and turn the meat to coat and lightly colour.
2

Slow braise

Add the cinnamon stick and enough water to almost cover. Cover and simmer gently 1.5–2 hours, topping up water as needed, until the lamb is very tender.
3

Plump the raisins

Add the raisins and simmer 15 minutes until swollen and soft, letting them take on the spiced sauce.
4

Honey and reduce

Stir in the honey and reduce the sauce, uncovered, until it turns dark, thick and glossy and coats the meat like a glaze. Taste for the balance of sweet, spice and salt.
5

Finish and serve

Fold in most of the fried almonds, scatter the rest with the sesame seeds over the top, and serve hot with bread.

Chef's tips

Mrouzia should be properly sweet and darkly spiced — this is not a dish to hold back the honey or the ras el hanout.
Reduce the sauce until it is sticky rather than soupy; the glaze clinging to the meat is the whole point.
A generous spoon of smen gives the authentic funky depth behind all that sweetness.

Frequently asked questions

Why is mrouzia associated with Eid al-Adha?

After the Eid sacrifice, families had a large amount of fresh lamb to use in an era before refrigeration. Cooking it with lots of honey, fat and spice preserved the meat for several days, and the resulting rich, sweet tagine became the signature dish of the feast.

What makes mrouzia different from lamb tagine with prunes?

Both are sweet-savoury, but mrouzia leans on a heavy dose of ras el hanout, honey and raisins for a darker, spicier, stickier result, while the prune tagine (lham bel barkook) is lighter and built around honeyed prunes and cinnamon.