Can I drink the fresh juice in Morocco? Is it safe?

Drink the juice — genuinely, it's one of the great small pleasures of Morocco. Freshly squeezed orange juice is everywhere, dirt cheap, and spectacular thanks to the country's superb citrus; the orange-juice carts ringing Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech are a beloved institution, and you'll find pressed juice stalls in every city. Beyond orange, you'll meet glasses of pomegranate, the slightly nutty 'panaché' avocado-and-fruit blends, sugarcane, banana-and-almond milkshakes — a whole rainbow. As someone who obsesses over food here, fresh juice is something I'd never want a visitor to skip out of misplaced caution.

On safety, the key principle is turnover. A busy stall where the fruit is being pressed in front of you, constantly, for a steady stream of customers is your safest bet — the juice is fresh, the equipment is in continuous use, and nothing sits around warming up. The famous Jemaa el-Fnaa carts fit this perfectly: they're slammed all day, so the juice in your glass was an orange minutes ago. High turnover is the single best signal of a safe stall, and it happens to also mean the best-tasting juice. Quiet, deserted stalls in the heat are the ones I'd personally pass by.

The honest caveat is for sensitive stomachs, and it comes down to two things: added water and ice. Pure pressed juice with nothing added is the safest option, full stop. Some vendors thin certain juices or milkshakes with tap water, and ice is made from tap water too — and while many travellers are completely fine, tap water is the usual culprit behind a mild traveller's tummy here. If your gut is cautious, ask for your juice 'sans glace' (no ice) and 'sans eau' (no water), or stick to straight orange juice which is just squeezed fruit. That small step removes most of the risk.

Put it in perspective, though, and don't let it scare you off: the overwhelming majority of visitors drink fresh juice freely and have zero problems. I drink it constantly. The smart, low-effort approach is simply: choose the busy stall, favour pure pressed juice, skip ice if your stomach is delicate, and enjoy. Pair that with the general Morocco rule of drinking bottled or filtered water rather than tap, and you can say a confident yes to that glass of sunshine-coloured orange juice. It might be the thing you most miss when you get home.