Seasonal ingredients
Snail Season and Babbouche in Morocco
One of the most distinctive street foods in Morocco is also one of the most overlooked by visitors: babbouche, small snails simmered in a dark, intensely aromatic broth and eaten steaming from a bowl with a pin to pluck them from their shells. Snail season follows the rains — strongest in autumn and again in spring — and when it comes, the cauldrons appear on street corners and in the souks, their fragrant steam a signal that the cool weather has arrived.
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- Season
- Seasonal ingredients
- Updated
- 20 July 2026
At a glance
- Babbouche is small snails simmered in a spiced, herbal broth.
- Snail season peaks after the rains, in autumn and again in spring.
- The broth is flavoured with thyme, aniseed, liquorice root and other herbs.
- It is prized as a warming, digestive and medicinal food as much as a snack.
The season of the snail
Snails (ghlal) emerge with moisture, and in Morocco their season is tied to the rains. After the first autumn downpours the snails appear in the fields and scrubland, and gatherers collect them for the market; a second, lighter season follows the spring rains. This is why babbouche is a cool-weather food — its arrival on the streets coincides with the turn away from the summer heat.
The snails are purged and cleaned before cooking, then simmered live in the broth. The result is a food deeply tied to season and place, unfamiliar to many outsiders but beloved by Moroccans who wait for its return each year.
The broth and how it is eaten
What makes babbouche remarkable is less the snails than the broth they cook in — a complex, medicinal-tasting infusion of herbs and spices simmered for hours until dark and powerfully aromatic.
- The snails: small garden snails, plucked from the shell with a pin or toothpick.
- The broth: flavoured with thyme, aniseed, liquorice root, mint, wormwood and a dozen or more herbs.
- The bowl: a portion of snails is ladled out and, crucially, the broth is drunk afterwards.
- The setting: eaten standing at a street cart or seated at a souk stall, especially in the evening.
A food that is also a remedy
Babbouche is valued at least as much for its supposed health benefits as for its taste. The herbal broth is considered a digestive and a warming tonic, good for the stomach, for circulation and for fending off the chills of the changing season. Many Moroccans drink the broth specifically as a remedy, and the whole ritual — the steam, the herbs, the warmth — is bound up with feeling well.
For the wider street-food culture and cool-season eating, see what to eat in Morocco in autumn, and for the foraged foods of the same rainy season, wild mushroom season.
Frequently asked questions
What is babbouche?
Babbouche is a Moroccan street food of small snails (ghlal) simmered in a dark, intensely aromatic broth of thyme, aniseed, liquorice root, mint and many other herbs. The snails are plucked from their shells with a pin and eaten from a bowl, and the fragrant broth is drunk afterwards.
When is snail season in Morocco?
Snail season follows the rains. The main season is in autumn, after the first downpours bring the snails out in the fields, with a second, lighter season after the spring rains. Babbouche is a cool-weather food, appearing on the streets as the summer heat fades.
Is babbouche considered healthy?
Yes — babbouche is valued as much as a remedy as a snack. The herbal broth is regarded as a digestive and a warming tonic, good for the stomach and circulation and for warding off the chills of the changing season. Many Moroccans drink the broth specifically for its supposed health benefits.
How do you eat babbouche?
A portion of snails is ladled into a bowl with some of the broth. You use a pin or toothpick to pull each snail from its shell, eat them one by one, and then drink the remaining broth, which is considered the most beneficial part. It is eaten hot, usually standing at a street cart or souk stall.