Fancy a camel spleen kebab or a super-sweet, deep-fried, sesame cookie? Here's the lowdown on street snacking, Moroccan-style.
glen pearson/cnn
Bread —
Morocco's souks serve an array of pan-fried, waistline-busting loaves. Particularly good are beghrir (spongy bread a bit like crumpets), harsha (buttery bread made of fine semolina) and rghaif (flaky, layered flat bread).
glen pearson/cnn
Bessara —
Mopped up with the ubiquitous khobz, a bowl of hearty fava bean soup is a popular workers' breakfast. Hole-in-the-wall eateries also dish it up for lunch with a glug of lemon-infused olive oil and a sprinkle of cumin and chili.
glen pearson/cnn
Crumbed liver —
The Moroccan version of a wienerschnitzel: smooth and buttery calves' livers, crumbed and fried. Food in souks is sold by weight. The vendor will chop up your meat and serve it in a sandwich or with a handful of fries.
glen pearson/cnn
Steamed sheep head —
This delicacy is usually eaten for breakfast after a home slaughter during the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice). To eat a head, wait for the vendor to scrape off the fur. Then sprinkle it with cumin, salt and chili, and scrape out the tender cheek meat and tongue.
glen pearson/cnn
Spicy sardines —
Morocco is the world's largest exporter of sardines. You can get them in the souks, stuffed with a spicy chermoula paste made of tomato, coriander, chili, garlic, paprika, cumin, olive oil and lemon juice, then coated in a light batter and fried.
glen pearson/cnn
Aubergine fritters —
Vegetarians can happily scoff their way through Morocco's souks. One of our favorite veg foods is sliced aubergine dipped in sweet smoked paprika batter and deep fried.
glen pearson/cnn
Brochettes —
Follow the billowing clouds of smoke and you'll find mini-chicken kebabs cooking over charcoal. The meat is rubbed with salt and spices, such as paprika and cumin.
glen pearson/cnn
Snail soup —
Stalls selling steaming vats of snail soup are popular across the country. Flavored with a concoction of around 15 spices, Moroccans believe the broth is good for digestion and fever, so some drink it without snails.
glen pearson/cnn
Stuffed camel spleen —
For an alternative take on sausage, how about tehal (stuffed camel spleen)? It's soft and creamy, like liver, and tastes gamey.
glen pearson/cnn
Dessert —
Super-sweet pastries and biscuits are big in Morocco. These shebakia (flower-shaped, deep-fried sesame cookies) are dipped in honey.
