By season
Spring Picnics and Outdoor Eating in Morocco
When spring settles over Morocco — warm days, cool evenings, the countryside briefly green after the rains — the national instinct is to eat outside. The nzaha, the family outing to picnic in the fields, orchards or by a river, is a cherished ritual of the mild season, and it comes with its own relaxed, portable menu of grilled skewers, salads, bread and, always, the makings of mint tea.
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- Updated
- 19 July 2026
At a glance
- Spring is the prime season for the nzaha, the Moroccan family picnic.
- Portable food leads: brochettes to grill, salads, bread, olives and boiled eggs.
- A small charcoal grill and the mint tea kit are picnic essentials.
- Families head to orchards, riversides and green hillsides for the day.
The nzaha, a springtime ritual
For much of the year the Moroccan climate discourages lingering outdoors — too hot in summer, too cold and wet in winter. Spring is the sweet spot, and families seize it. The nzaha is an unhurried outing to a green spot, be it an olive grove, a riverbank, a hillside of wildflowers or a public garden, where the day is spent eating, drinking tea, resting and enjoying the fleeting green. It is as much about being outside together as about the food.
Around Marrakech, the Ourika valley and the orchards toward the Atlas foothills are favourite spring picnic destinations, cooler and greener than the city.
What is in the picnic basket
Picnic food is chosen to travel well and to be eaten with the hands, usually with bread doing the work of cutlery.
- Brochettes and kefta: marinated skewers grilled on a small portable charcoal brazier.
- Cooked salads: zaalouk and taktouka in tubs, scooped with bread.
- Bread, olives and cheese: the reliable base of any Moroccan spread.
- Boiled eggs with cumin and salt: the classic portable protein.
- Fruit and mint tea: seasonal fruit to finish and tea brewed on the spot.
Tea in the open air
No Moroccan picnic is complete without mint tea, and families think nothing of bringing the full kit — a small gas burner or a bed of charcoal, the kettle, the pot, fresh mint and a cone of sugar — to brew it fresh on the grass. The ritual of making and pouring the tea is part of the outing, a slow, sociable anchor to the afternoon. Grilling the skewers over the same coals completes the picture.
For the produce of the season see spring produce in Morocco, and for the wider spring table, what to eat in Morocco in spring.
Frequently asked questions
What is a nzaha?
A nzaha is a Moroccan family outing to picnic and relax outdoors — in an orchard, by a river, on a green hillside or in a garden. Most popular in the mild spring, it is a cherished ritual of eating, drinking mint tea and resting together in the open air, as much about the company as the food.
What food do Moroccans bring on a picnic?
Picnic food travels well and is eaten with bread: marinated brochettes and kefta to grill on a small charcoal brazier, cooked salads like zaalouk and taktouka, bread, olives and cheese, boiled eggs with cumin, seasonal fruit, and the full kit to brew fresh mint tea on the spot.
When is the best time to picnic in Morocco?
Spring, roughly March to May, is ideal — the days are warm but not scorching, the evenings cool, and the countryside is briefly green and flower-filled after the winter rains. Summer is too hot for comfortable midday outings inland, and winter too cold and wet, making spring the natural picnic season.
Do Moroccans really make tea outdoors on a picnic?
Yes, and it is central to the outing. Families bring a small burner or charcoal, a kettle, the teapot, fresh mint and sugar, and brew mint tea fresh on the grass. The slow ritual of making and pouring it anchors the afternoon, and the same coals are often used to grill the skewers.