Zagora Cooking Class: Learn Berber Dishes with Zahra

Cook Moroccan dishes the way a Berber family does, in a desert oasis instead of a kitchen classroom.

A four-hour cooking class at Dar Toda, a guesthouse in Zagora's desert, where you prepare traditional Moroccan dishes with Zahra, a Berber cook who teaches her family recipes and cooking secrets. The class includes a market visit on Sundays or Wednesdays to select fresh ingredients, preparation of dishes like tagine, couscous and berber bread in a clay oven, and a meal eaten in the oasis setting. English and French-speaking instruction. Children from age one are welcome.

The experience

You meet Zahra at Dar Toda, a peaceful guesthouse surrounded by palms in the Zagora desert. The class starts with Moroccan mint tea, then moves into the kitchen where Zahra walks you through the spices and herbs she uses daily (saffron, preserved lemon, ginger, cinnamon), and shows you how they build flavor in dishes like chicken tagine with olives or couscous with seven vegetables. You handle the ingredients, learn the techniques, and cook alongside her rather than watching a demonstration.

If you arrive on a Sunday or Wednesday, the experience begins at the local market in Zagora, where Zahra takes you to select the vegetables and spices you'll need for the class. You see what's in season, how she chooses, and what goes into the daily cooking of a Berber household. The market visit is optional but changes the class from instruction into a full cultural exchange. You're not just learning recipes, you're learning how food moves from the souk to the table.

The menu shifts with what's available: you might prepare zaalouk (a smoky eggplant salad), chicken tagine, fresh salads, couscous, or seffa (sweet couscous with almonds and cinnamon). Berber bread baked in a clay fire over an open flame is part of most classes. You eat what you've made in the oasis setting, under the palms, with tea prepared the Berber way: poured from height to foam the surface, a ritual Zahra teaches as part of the meal.

What’s included

• Instruction from Zahra in English or French.
• lunch (the meal you prepare).
• Moroccan mint tea and coffee.
• all ingredients and use of kitchen equipment at Dar Toda.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (18 to 70 years) · Infant (1 to 17 years)

GroupUp to 20

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Wheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Dar Toda

Is this one for you?Book the market visit option on a Sunday or Wednesday if you want to choose your own ingredients and see how Zahra shops for daily cooking. The class without the market works just as well if you arrive on other days or prefer to focus entirely on cooking and eating together.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (1 to 17 years).

Can I visit the local market in Zagora before the cooking class?

The local market in Zagora runs on Sundays and Wednesdays. Zahra can take you there at the start of your class on those days to buy the fresh vegetables and spices you'll cook with, turning the class into a full market-to-table experience. On other days, the class focuses on cooking and the meal.

What dishes will I learn to cook?

The menu depends on the season and what's available, but typically includes chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives, couscous with seven vegetables, zaalouk (smoky eggplant salad), fresh Moroccan salads, berber bread baked in clay, and seffa (sweet couscous with cinnamon and almonds). You'll also learn the Moroccan mint tea ceremony.

How long does the class take?

The class runs four hours, including preparation, cooking, and eating the meal you've made in the oasis setting. If you add the market visit on a Sunday or Wednesday, plan for additional time at the souk before the class begins.