What are babouches (slippers)?

Babouches are those soft leather slippers you'll see stacked in glorious technicolour pyramids all over the souks — and they're far more than a tourist trinket. A babouche is a flat, backless slipper (you slide your heel in and the back folds down), traditionally hand-stitched from goat or sheep leather, with either a pointed or a rounded toe. Moroccans wear them everywhere: padding around the house, slipped on to step out to the shop, even worn out and about. They're the national slipper, plain and simple.

What makes them special is the craft and the colour. The classic men's babouche is a humble saffron-yellow, traditionally made from softer, more refined leather and considered the dignified everyday choice. Women's run riot through every colour — crimson, turquoise, fuchsia, gold — and the fancier ones are embroidered with silk thread, studded with sequins or beaded into little works of art. The leather is often tanned in the famous Fes tanneries, which is part of why Fes is the spiritual home of the really good babouche.

I always coach guests a little before they buy, because there's a knack. Try them on — Moroccan sizing is approximate and the leather stretches as it moulds to your foot, so a snug new pair will loosen. Smell and feel the leather; real, well-tanned leather is supple and a touch oily, while the cheapest tourist pairs can be stiff, thinly made or actually plastic-backed. Press the stitching. A good pair barely costs more than a poor one once you've bartered, so it's worth holding out for quality.

Honestly, babouches are my top "useful souvenir" recommendation: they're flat, weigh nothing, squash into a corner of your suitcase, and you'll genuinely wear them as house slippers for years, each pair carrying a little memory of the souk. Buy a couple — one practical pair for yourself, a dressier embroidered pair as a gift. Barter with good humour, walk a few steps to check the fit, and you'll come home with the most charming, hard-wearing keepsake Morocco sells.