Olives & local produce
Best Olives in Meknes — Morocco's Olive Capital
Meknes is Morocco's olive capital, ringed by groves that supply much of the country's olives and olive oil. The city's markets brim with dozens of varieties and cures, and no visit is complete without grazing the olive stalls and tasting the local oil.
- City
- Meknes
- Cuisine
- Olives & local produce
- Typical price
- 10-60 MAD
Meknes sits at the heart of Morocco's olive-growing country, its surrounding plains and the slopes around nearby Moulay Idriss and Zerhoun covered in groves. The city is the country's olive capital, and its markets reflect that: stalls piled high with glistening mountains of olives in every colour and cure — green, violet, black, cracked, salt-cured, herbed, chilli-spiked, and preserved in oil — sold loose by weight. Tasting your way along an olive stall, sampling the different cures, is one of the great simple food experiences in Meknes.
The region's olive oil is equally central. Freshly pressed local oil, green and peppery, is sold in the markets and used generously in the city's cooking — drizzled over bissara soup, into tagines, and for dipping bread at breakfast. Around harvest time in autumn and early winter, the new oil is a local event, and the markets are at their most abundant. Preserved lemons, another Moroccan staple, are often sold alongside the olives.
The El Hedim square and the covered markets nearby are the place to browse: the food souks here are among the most atmospheric in Morocco, less touristy than Fes or Marrakech, with olives, oil, preserved lemons, spices, dates and pickles sold to a mostly local crowd. It is a working market city, and the produce is superb and keenly priced.
Buy olives loose by weight, taste before you commit, and pick up a bottle of the peppery local oil to take home. Whether as a snack, a market picnic, or an ingredient, Meknes olives are the city's signature food and a genuine reason to visit its souks.
How to eat well
- 1
Taste your way along the olive stalls — vendors expect you to sample the different cures before buying.
- 2
Buy olives loose by weight and pick up a bottle of the peppery local olive oil.
- 3
Visit in autumn or early winter, around the olive harvest, when markets are most abundant and the new oil arrives.
- 4
Browse the food souks near El Hedim square — atmospheric and far less touristy than Fes or Marrakech.
- 5
Pair olives with fresh bread and local cheese for a cheap, excellent market picnic.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Meknes known for olives?
It sits at the centre of Morocco's main olive-growing region, surrounded by groves on the plains and the slopes around Moulay Idriss and Zerhoun. The city is the country's olive capital, and its markets sell dozens of varieties and cures.
Where can I buy olives in Meknes?
In the food souks and covered markets near El Hedim square, where stalls sell olives loose by weight in every cure, along with local olive oil, preserved lemons and pickles, mostly to a local crowd.
When is olive season in Meknes?
The olive harvest runs through autumn and early winter, when the markets are most abundant and freshly pressed local oil arrives — a good time to visit for the produce.