What is Souss / Agadir regional food?

The Souss — the fertile plain around Agadir, Taroudant and the argan forests — is one of Morocco's most distinctive food regions, and one most travellers race past on their way to the desert. It's a meeting of three worlds: Amazigh mountain tradition, Atlantic abundance, and the unique argan ecosystem that grows nowhere else on the planet. The cooking here tastes of all three.

Argan is the soul of Souss cuisine. The hardy argan tree yields kernels that women's cooperatives press into a nutty, golden oil — drizzled over salads, couscous and bread, or roasted and blended into amlou, that heavenly almond-argan-honey spread I'd happily eat every morning of my life. Around Taroudant and Tiznit, amlou and argan appear at every traditional breakfast, alongside olive oil, honey and fresh msemen.

The region's signature savoury dish is tagra — named after the shallow clay dish it's cooked in. It's a slow oven-bake, often of fish, squid and shellfish from the Agadir coast layered with tomatoes, peppers, chermoula, potatoes and preserved lemon, though meat versions exist too. The Souss is also known for hearty couscous served with buttermilk (lben) and a knob of smen (aged, funky butter), reflecting its rural Amazigh roots.

And then there's the coast: Agadir and the fishing village of Taghazout serve the freshest grilled sardines, sea bream and calamari, plus honey from the argan and thyme slopes that's prized across Morocco. I love programming a Souss stop precisely because it's a different Morocco — the food is earthier and more coastal than the imperial cities, and watching argan pressed by hand before tasting amlou warm is a highlight guests never forget.