Harvest
Coriander and Parsley: Morocco's Year-Round Herb Harvest
Most harvests have a season; coriander and parsley have none. These twin green herbs — qezbour and maadnous — are grown continuously across Morocco, harvested somewhere every month of the year, and sold in great fragrant bunches on every vegetable stall in the land. They are the indispensable foundation of Moroccan savoury cooking, used together in quantities that astonish visitors, and their constant availability is a small miracle that the whole cuisine depends upon.
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- Harvest
- Updated
- 20 July 2026
At a glance
- Coriander and parsley are harvested year-round, with no single season.
- They are grown continuously in market gardens and staggered plantings.
- The two herbs are the foundation of nearly every savoury Moroccan dish.
- They form the base of chermoula, the country's essential marinade.
A harvest without a season
Unlike the fruit and grain that ripen in their appointed months, coriander and parsley are fast-growing herbs that can be sown and cut in continuous succession. Around Morocco's cities and in the market gardens of the fertile plains, growers stagger their plantings so that fresh bunches are always coming to market. Coriander bolts and goes to seed quickly in heat, so cooler-season and successional planting keeps the supply steady; parsley is hardier and crops over long periods. Between them, the green herb supply never stops.
This year-round abundance is why the herbs are so cheap — often bundled free with a vegetable purchase — and why Moroccan cooks can use them with the generosity that defines the cuisine.
The foundation of the flavour
Coriander and parsley are not garnishes in Morocco; they are structural. Chopped by the handful, they go into the base of countless dishes.
- Chermoula: the essential marinade of coriander, parsley, garlic, cumin, paprika and lemon for fish and meat.
- Tagines: great handfuls stirred into the sauce and scattered over the finished dish.
- Harira and soups: chopped fresh herbs stirred in near the end for freshness.
- Salads: folded raw through chopped and cooked salads alike.
- Kefta and marinades: mixed into minced meat and rubs for depth and colour.
The green bunch on every stall
Walk through any Moroccan souk and the twin bunches of coriander and parsley are on every vegetable stall, tied together and sold for a pittance. They are usually bought fresh in generous quantity and used the same day, their aroma filling the kitchen as they are washed and chopped. The distinction between the two matters — coriander is pungent and citrussy, parsley greener and grassier — and Moroccan cooking uses them together to build a flavour that is unmistakably its own.
These two anchor a wider herb tradition that does shift with the seasons. For the seasonal herbs alongside them, see fresh herbs by season, and for the marinade they build, the wider role of spice in warming spices for Moroccan winter.
Frequently asked questions
Are coriander and parsley in season all year in Morocco?
Yes. Unlike most crops, these fast-growing herbs are sown and cut in continuous succession, so fresh bunches come to market every month of the year. Growers stagger their plantings around the cities and fertile plains to keep a steady supply, which is why the herbs are always available and very cheap.
Why are coriander and parsley so important in Moroccan cooking?
They are the structural foundation of nearly every savoury dish, not mere garnishes. Chopped by the handful, they go into tagines, soups, salads, minced-meat dishes, and above all chermoula, the essential marinade. Their pungent, green flavour is a defining element of Moroccan cooking.
What is chermoula?
Chermoula is Morocco's essential marinade and sauce, built on a base of fresh coriander and parsley blended with garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon or vinegar and olive oil. It is used above all for fish, but also for meat and vegetables, and it depends entirely on the year-round supply of the two fresh green herbs.
What is the difference between coriander and parsley in Moroccan cooking?
Coriander (qezbour) is pungent and citrussy, while flat-leaf parsley (maadnous) is greener and grassier. Moroccan cooking uses the two together to build its characteristic fresh, herbal base. They are sold tied in the same bunch on the stalls and chopped together into most savoury dishes.