Moroccan Breakfast: Msemen, Baghrir and Mint Tea at a Riad

Ask our guests what they remember about their stay, and many mention breakfast. On a sunlit terrace or in a cool courtyard, a generous table appears: warm breads, pancakes, honey, olive oil and mint tea. It is a slow, Moroccan-style moment that sets the tone for the day. Here is everything you need to know about the Moroccan breakfast, its specialities, its customs and a recipe to recreate it at home. To understand the riad way of life, read what is a riad too.

A breakfast like no other

The Moroccan breakfast is hearty and leans sweet-and-savoury. It brings together homemade breads and pancakes, simple, high-quality products such as olive oil, honey, butter, olives and fresh cheese, and hot drinks. In families it is often taken quite late at weekends and shared at length. In a riad it is usually included in the room rate; it is also a good indicator of a house’s quality, as we explain in how to choose a riad in Fes.

Breads and pancakes

Msemen

Msemen is a flaky, square flatbread made by folding an oiled semolina-and-flour dough several times, then cooking it on a griddle. Crisp outside and soft inside, it is eaten warm with honey, butter or amlou. You will also find it stuffed with onion and spices, or with khlii, the preserved meat of Fes.

Baghrir

Nicknamed the “thousand-hole pancake”, baghrir is a thick, spongy pancake made from fine semolina and cooked on one side only. Its holes soak up the melted butter and honey poured over it beautifully.

Harcha and khobz

Harcha is a small semolina griddle bread with a crumbly texture, perfect with fresh cheese. Khobz, the traditional round loaf, is often baked in the neighbourhood oven; you dip it in olive oil before adding olives or jam.

What comes with them

• Olive oil, often local, for dipping bread.
• Amlou, an irresistible spread of toasted almonds, argan oil and honey.
• Honey, flower or thyme, and fresh butter.
• Jben, a mild fresh cheese, and olives.
• Eggs, as an omelette or fried, sometimes with khlii.
• Homemade jams, fig, bitter orange or apricot.
• Seasonal fruit, oranges, pomegranates, figs or watermelon depending on the time of year.

Morning drinks

Mint tea, green and sweet, poured from a height to create a froth, is the great classic. Coffee is very popular too, especially “nous-nous”, half coffee and half milk served in a glass. Freshly squeezed orange juice completes the table, and you sometimes come across avocado juice, creamy and sweet.

Morning street food in the medina

If you head out early, the medina has its own breakfast: bissara, a fava bean soup with olive oil and cumin served steaming in clay bowls; sfenj, ring doughnuts fried in front of you; and msemen sold by the piece. It is a chance to share a moment with locals on their way to work. More culinary discoveries are in what to eat in Fes.

Table customs

• People often eat with their fingers and a piece of bread, using the right hand.
• Bread is almost sacred: avoid throwing it away.
• Take your time: a Moroccan breakfast is never rushed.
• Tea is drunk very hot, in small sips; it is polite to accept a glass.

Baghrir recipe

For about twelve pancakes: 250 g (1⅓ cups) fine semolina, 100 g (¾ cup) flour, one sachet of dried yeast, one sachet of baking powder, a pinch of salt and about 600 ml (2½ cups) lukewarm water.

1. Blend all the ingredients into a smooth, fairly runny batter.
2. Leave to rest for thirty minutes at room temperature: bubbles form on the surface.
3. Heat a non-stick pan without any fat and pour in a small ladle of batter.
4. Cook on one side only, without flipping, until the surface is covered in small holes and dry to the touch.
5. Serve topped with a warm mixture of melted butter and honey.

Before a busy day

If you are leaving early for a day trip to Volubilis or towards the desert, tell your riad the evening before: many can prepare an earlier breakfast or a packed version to take away. To plan those days, see our day trips from Fes and our article on staying in a riad.

Breakfast at La Petite Maison

Every morning, between 8 and 10:30 am, we serve a homemade Moroccan breakfast on the terrace or in the courtyard: warm msemen and baghrir, wholemeal bread, olive oil and amlou, homemade jams, seasonal fruit, eggs, mint tea and coffee. It is included with every room. Let us know the evening before if you are leaving early and we will see what we can do. Discover the riad and its terrace, browse our rooms or write to us to book; for an overview, our guide on where to stay in Fes awaits.