Is Morocco good for vegetarians and vegans?

Vegetarians eat very well here, and I say that as someone who designs trips for plenty of them. Vegetable tagine — courgette, carrot, potato, turnip, chickpeas stacked into a fragrant pyramid — is on every menu, and it's not an afterthought; it's a genuine star dish. Add couscous aux sept légumes (the classic 'seven vegetables' version), and you've got two satisfying mains before you've even started on the sides.

The mezze-style starters are where vegetarians really win. Zaalouk is a smoky cooked aubergine-and-tomato dip; taktouka pairs roasted peppers and tomatoes; bakoula is silky cooked greens with garlic, lemon and olives. Pile them onto warm khobz bread and you have a feast. Lentil (adas) and white-bean (loubia) stews are cheap, hearty and meat-free staples eaten by everyone, vegetarian or not.

Vegans need to be a touch more vigilant, because butter (smen), eggs and honey appear in places you wouldn't expect — bread can be brushed with butter, that vegetable tagine might be finished with a knob of it, and pastries are off-limits. Learn the phrase 'bla zebda, bla bayd' (without butter, without eggs), or have me note it on your bookings. Once you flag it, kitchens are accommodating; the cuisine is naturally plant-heavy, so they're not starting from scratch.

One honest caveat: in deep-rural or desert settings, choice narrows and 'vegetarian' can be loosely interpreted (a vegetable tagine cooked in the same pot as meat, or stock that isn't quite veg). If that matters to you, tell me up front and I'll brief the camps and guesthouses in advance so your meals are genuinely meat-free, not just meat-light.