What does a Moroccan breakfast include?

Breakfast (ftour) in Morocco is a table to graze across, and my favourite meal of the day. At its heart is bread in many forms — a basket of warm khobz, flaky msemen pulled apart in buttery layers, crumbly harcha split and buttered, and spongy baghrir crêpes riddled with holes that soak up melted butter and honey. You tear, dip and build little bites rather than ordering a single plate.

Around the bread comes the spread: a dish of golden honey, soft butter, a pool of fruity olive oil, apricot or fig jam, and — if you are lucky — amlou, the addictive paste of ground almonds, argan oil and honey that tastes like a Moroccan answer to peanut butter. Olives and a little fresh white cheese (jben) add a savoury counterpoint. In riads you will often get eggs cooked simply, or in the south a dish of khlea, preserved spiced beef, fried with eggs.

In cooler months, especially in the north, breakfast can mean a bowl of bissara — that thick fava or split-pea soup with olive oil and cumin — eaten with bread to warm you for the day. To drink, there is sweet mint tea, strong coffee (often nous-nous, half coffee half milk), and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, vivid and cheap from the carts and cafés.

My advice: do not rush it. A proper Moroccan breakfast is leisurely and social, meant to be lingered over with tea refilled twice. If you are staying in a riad, ask for it served on the rooftop and let the medina wake up around you. On our trips I make sure at least one morning is a full traditional spread — it sets the tone for how Morocco eats: generously, slowly, together.