Small-Group Cooking Class in Marrakech: Market, Riad, Tagine

Market, communal oven, riad kitchen: four hours building a Moroccan meal from scratch

A small-group cooking class in Marrakech where you visit the local farmers market and communal bread oven, then return to a riad courtyard to prepare traditional Moroccan dishes under the instruction of chef Karima and manager Hassan, who translates from French to English. The class runs 4 hours starting at 10am, includes lunch of the dishes you've made, and caps at six people. Children from age 14 are welcome.

The Experience

You start at the communal oven—the furan—where locals bake their homemade bread and biscuits. From there you move through the souq, the local farmers market, picking out fresh ingredients for the day's cooking. This is not a tour of the medina; you're shopping for dinner, moving through the stalls with Karima and Hassan, who point out what's in season and what works for the dishes you're about to make.

Back in the riad courtyard, you prepare an assortment of traditional Moroccan salads—aubergine, zucchini, sweet tomato chutney—and a tagine, the slow-cooked stew that is the backbone of Moroccan home cooking. Karima walks you through each step. While the tagine simmers, she teaches you how to make a simple Moroccan dessert of sliced orange with cinnamon, and Hassan demonstrates the ritual of brewing and pouring Moroccan mint tea. You eat everything you've made, and you leave with printed recipe sheets so the meals don't stay in Marrakech.

The group stays under six people, which means you're not standing in a line waiting for your turn at the stove. Karima and Hassan work in English and French, so instruction is clear whether you speak either language. Water is provided throughout the morning.

What’s included

• Visit to the local communal bread oven where residents bake homemade bread and biscuits.
• shopping at the farmers market for fresh ingredients.
• instruction from chef Karima in the riad courtyard.
• preparation of three traditional salads, a tagine, and a Moroccan orange and cinnamon dessert.
• demonstration of Moroccan mint tea brewing.
• lunch of all the dishes you've made.
• printed recipe sheets.
• bottled water throughout the morning.

Good to know

Infants must sit on laps

Operated by Riad Dar Zaman

Is this one for you?Book this if you want hands-on cooking at the stove rather than watching, and prefer starting at the farmers market to cook with what's actually in season in Marrakech.

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Top questions

What dishes do you actually make in the Marrakech cooking class?

You prepare three salads—aubergine, zucchini, and sweet tomato chutney—plus a tagine, which is typically chicken with preserved lemons and olives, lamb with prunes, or vegetables with aromatic seasoning. You also learn to make sliced orange with cinnamon for dessert and Moroccan mint tea.

Do you need cooking experience to join the class?

No. The class is designed for people new to Moroccan cooking. Karima teaches each step, and the group size stays small so there's room to ask questions and learn at your own pace.

What time does the Marrakech cooking class start and how long does it run?

The class starts at 10am and lasts approximately 4 hours. It includes the market visit, the communal oven stop, and all the cooking and eating in the riad courtyard.

Is the market visit part of the cooking class or separate?

The market visit is built into the class. You go to the souq with Karima and Hassan to buy the fresh ingredients you'll cook with, so you see what's available and learn what works for Moroccan cooking.

Can children join the Marrakech cooking class?

Children are welcome from age 14. Younger children can attend if they sit on an adult's lap during the class.

What's included in the price of the cooking class?

The class includes bottled water throughout the morning, lunch (the dishes you've prepared), and printed recipe sheets to take home. Hassan also demonstrates how to make Moroccan mint tea as part of the instruction.