Harira

Harira is built on a base of tomato, onion, celery and coriander with lentils and chickpeas, usually a little lamb or beef, and a great deal of fresh coriander and parsley; what makes it Moroccan rather than a generic soup is the tedouira, a slurry of flour and water left to ferment slightly and then stirred in at the end, which thickens the soup and gives it a faint sourness that is the distinguishing note. Some cooks use beaten egg or lemon instead. It is eaten year round but its fixed place is Ramadan: the fast is broken at sunset with dates, milk and harira, in that order in most households, and through the month every cafe and stall makes it. Chebakia, the honeyed sesame pastry, is eaten alongside. On the Jemaa el-Fna it is ladled from great pots at the food stalls every evening of the year for a few dirhams.

What you actually see

• The tedouira - a lightly fermented flour slurry stirred in to thicken and sour it.
• Herbs in quantity - coriander and parsley well beyond a garnish.
• The sunset order - dates, milk, then harira, at the breaking of the fast.
• Stall pots - ladled on the Jemaa el-Fna every evening for a few dirhams.

When to go

All year; Ramadan sunsets for the full context. An hour.

Honest expectations

Recipes vary widely by household and region - there is no single correct version. Ramadan means cafes are shut through the day and everything happens at sunset. Vegetarian versions exist but the stock is often meat. Street stall hygiene varies.

Nearby

The Jemaa el-Fna food stalls in Marrakech serve it nightly.