What fresh herbs are key in Moroccan cooking?

Spices may get the glory, but fresh herbs are the green heartbeat of everyday Moroccan cooking, and the morning herb stall in any souk tells the story. The first time I shopped with a Marrakech cook, she bought herbs by the armful — bundles of coriander and parsley so generous they barely fit in the basket, tied with palm-frond strips, the leaves still beaded with the seller's water spray. Herbs here are not a garnish bought once a week; they are a daily ingredient bought in bulk and used with both hands.

The two that matter most are fresh coriander (cilantro) and flat-leaf parsley, and crucially they are usually used TOGETHER. Chopped fine and added by the fistful, they go into tagines, into the broth of harira soup, into kefta and salads. The combination gives that fresh, green, almost grassy lift that sits under so much Moroccan food. Coriander's soapy-bright note and parsley's cleaner, peppery one balance each other; cooks rarely choose one over the other, they simply use plenty of both.

Then there is mint — but mostly in its own world. Spearmint (na'na) is the soul of Moroccan tea, stuffed into the glass in fragrant green bushels and bruised by the hot, sweet brew until the whole café smells of it. Watching a waiter cram a fistful of mint into a glass and pour tea from a great height never gets old. Fresh mint also turns up in some salads and drinks, but the tea is its true throne. Alongside the big two and mint, cooks reach for fresh celery leaf, which flavours many tagines, and the herb-heavy paste chermoula for marinating fish.

For travellers cooking back home, my plea: be generous. Western recipes treat coriander and parsley as a delicate sprinkle; Moroccan cooking treats them as a vegetable. Buy them fresh, chop the soft stems as well as the leaves, and add far more than feels reasonable. And always buy them the day you cook — the difference between a same-morning bunch from a souk and a tired supermarket packet is the difference between a dish that sings and one that merely speaks.