City guides
Ifrane & Middle Atlas Highland Food
Few visitors expect Switzerland in Morocco, but that is roughly what Ifrane offers — a tidy, alpine-styled town at 1,600 metres, set among cedar forests where snow falls in winter and the air is bracing. The Middle Atlas highlands around it, including Azrou and the Amazigh villages, cook to the cool climate: grilled meats, mountain honey, trout from the streams, and hearty, warming plates. It is a bracing change from the lowland cities.
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- 20 July 2026
At a glance
- The Middle Atlas is Morocco's cool highland — think grills, honey and trout.
- Ifrane is polished and calm; the real food is in Azrou and the villages.
- Local honey and mountain produce are the souvenirs to carry home.
An alpine anomaly
Ifrane itself is unusually neat and European in feel, built as a hill station and now home to a prestigious university, with chalet architecture and clipped gardens. It is a pleasant, calm base rather than a street-food destination — the cafés serve good coffee and pastries, and the tidy centre suits a relaxed lunch. The town's polish means prices run a little higher than the surrounding countryside.
The real highland eating is found just beyond, in the market town of Azrou and the Amazigh villages of the cedar forests. Here the cooking answers the climate: warming tagines, grilled lamb, and the barley breads and pulses of mountain households. A day trip out of Ifrane into this country is where the region's food comes alive.
What to eat in the highlands
Grilled meat is the highland staple — roadside grills and village counters turn out excellent lamb and kefta, cooked hot over wood and eaten with bread and cumin. The cool streams support trout, and in season you may find it fried or grilled, an unusual pleasure in a country better known for its Atlantic and Mediterranean fish. Warming, robust tagines suit the mountain evenings.
The Middle Atlas is famous for honey, and the villages sell distinct varieties — thyme, jujube, carob and more — from roadside stands and co-operatives. Buying honey here, direct from the producer, is both a bargain and a superb souvenir. Mountain produce, walnuts and apples from the cooler orchards round out the highland larder.
Base, browse and the cedar forest
Azrou's weekly market is the place to browse the region's produce, meet the Amazigh farmers of the surrounding villages, and eat cheaply among locals. The nearby cedar forests, home to the famous Barbary macaques, make a fine setting for a picnic of bread, honey, cheese and fruit gathered at the market.
The highlands work best as a cool, scenic break on the route between Fes and the desert or Marrakech, a chance to swap city intensity for forest air and honest mountain food. A night in Ifrane and a day exploring Azrou and the cedars gives a rounded taste of a Morocco most itineraries skip entirely.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ifrane worth visiting?
As a cool, calm and scenic change of pace, yes, though the town itself is more about clean alpine atmosphere than street food. Its real value is as a base for the Middle Atlas highlands, where the mountain cooking, honey villages and cedar forests are the draw. It suits travellers wanting forest air and a break from the lowland heat.
What food is the Middle Atlas known for?
Warming highland cooking suited to the cool climate: grilled lamb and kefta, hearty tagines, barley breads, and trout from the mountain streams. The region is especially famous for its honey, sold in many varieties direct from village producers. Local walnuts, apples and cool-climate produce round out the highland larder.
Where should I buy honey in the Middle Atlas?
Buy directly from roadside stands and village co-operatives around Azrou and the cedar forests, where you can often taste before choosing. Distinct varieties like thyme, jujube and carob are available, and buying from the producer means better quality and price than city bazaars. Honey is one of the region's best and most portable souvenirs.
How do I fit the Middle Atlas into an itinerary?
It slots naturally onto the route between Fes and the desert, or as a cool detour from a wider imperial-cities loop. A night in Ifrane and a day exploring Azrou's market and the cedar forests gives a good taste of the highlands. It is a refreshing, off-trail interlude between the intensity of the big food cities.