Religious & festival
The Ramadan Suhoor Guide
Suhoor is the meal Moroccans eat in the small hours before dawn during Ramadan, the last food and drink before the fast begins again. Quieter and less celebrated than the sunset ftour, it is arguably the more important of the two: what you eat at suhoor decides how well you will get through the long fasting day. The choices lean toward slow, sustaining, hydrating foods.
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- 19 July 2026
At a glance
- Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal that must sustain a full day of fasting.
- Slow-release foods — dairy, eggs, oats, dates and wholegrains — are favoured.
- Hydration matters: plenty of water and milk, and avoiding very salty food.
- Many eat harira again, or lighter breakfast-style dishes, before first light.
Why suhoor matters
During Ramadan, no food or drink passes the lips from dawn to sunset. In the long-daylight years of the cycle that can mean fifteen hours or more of fasting, so the pre-dawn meal is not a formality — it is fuel and, crucially, water for the hours ahead. Waking in the small hours to eat takes discipline, and in Morocco the nefeb, the drummer who once walked the streets to rouse people, is part of the tradition.
The aim is to eat foods that release energy slowly and keep the body hydrated, so the fasting day is bearable.
What is on the suhoor table
Suhoor food is gentler and more breakfast-like than the ftour spread, chosen to last.
- Dairy: milk, buttermilk (lben) and yoghurt for slow-release protein and hydration.
- Eggs: boiled or in a khlea or vegetable tagine, for lasting fullness.
- Harira or soup: many eat the soup again, gentle and hydrating.
- Dates and dried fruit: natural sugars and fibre.
- Wholegrains: oat and barley porridges (belboula), breads and semolina.
Eating and drinking to last the day
The seasoned faster knows the rules of suhoor: favour complex carbohydrates and protein over quick sugars, eat enough but not so much as to feel sluggish, and above all drink well — water, milk and hydrating soups — while avoiding heavily salted or fried foods that bring on thirst. A bowl of oat or barley porridge, some dairy, eggs, dates and plenty of water is a model suhoor.
For the other side of the Ramadan day, see the Ramadan iftar guide, and for cooking through the month, what to cook in Ramadan at home.
Frequently asked questions
What is suhoor?
Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal eaten during Ramadan, the last food and drink before the daytime fast begins. Quieter than the sunset ftour, it is eaten in the small hours and is designed to sustain and hydrate the body through the long fasting day ahead.
What do Moroccans eat for suhoor?
Suhoor leans toward slow, sustaining, hydrating foods: dairy like milk and buttermilk, eggs, oat or barley porridge (belboula), wholegrain breads and semolina, dates and dried fruit, and often a bowl of harira again. The goal is lasting energy and good hydration.
What should you avoid eating at suhoor?
Heavily salted, very sweet or deep-fried foods are best avoided, because they trigger thirst or give a quick energy spike that fades fast. The aim is complex carbohydrates, protein and plenty of fluids, so the body stays fuelled and hydrated through the long fasting day rather than crashing mid-morning.
What time is suhoor eaten?
Suhoor is eaten in the small hours before dawn, ending before the fajr (dawn) call to prayer, when the fast begins. The exact time shifts with the season and the length of the day, and because Ramadan moves earlier each year, the pre-dawn hour changes over the lunar cycle.