This smooth-as-silk soup is the original ‘fast’ food

Harira, Morocco

Plate up

Picture this: you’ve been fasting for an entire day. You have had nothing to eat or drink from dawn until dusk. But then, finally, the sun dips below the horizon, and someone places a steaming, fragrant bowl of soup in front of you. And it’s time to eat. The scene you’re imagining is one played out in Morocco every day during the Islamic celebration of Ramadan (which next takes place in February). Observers of the Muslim faith will spend the entire day abstaining from any food or drink, and then will typically break their fast at sunset with harira, a traditional and delicious tomato-based soup.

Harira is a hearty dish, perfect for breaking a fast: it features both chickpeas and lentils, as well as either rice or broken strands of vermicelli. The soup begins with lamb, chicken or beef stock – though it can also be vegetarian – which is cooked with various aromatics, herbs and spices (every household has its own blend), as well as plenty of tomatoes, and the aforementioned stomach-fillers. It’s then thickened with “tedouira”, like a roux, and served piping hot with fresh coriander and a wedge of lemon. Ramadan Mubarak!

First serve

Harira is one of those dishes that just feels like it has always existed in Morocco. It’s likely to have originated in Berber cuisine, which has had a large influence on the modern dishes eaten across the Maghreb region (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia). Harira also has connections to Moroccan Jewish heritage, and indeed the dish is eaten as a fast-breaker during Yom Kippur, as well as Ramadan. The name harira in Arabic means “silk”, which relates to the smooth texture of the soup.

Order there

In Marrakesh, sample harira once the sun has set at Dar Cherifa, a traditional restaurant set in a riad (marrakech-riads.com).

Order here

For sensational Moroccan food in Sydney, try Cafe Tanja (instagram.com/cafetanjasurryhills). In Melbourne, head to Moroccan Soup Bar to try vegetarian harira (moroccansoupbar.com.au). And in Adelaide, visit Marrakech Restaurant (marrakechrestaurant.com.au).

Cook it

Make harira at home following this recipe from Good Food.

One more thing

Traditionally in Morocco, that fast-breaking harira is also served with dates and chebakia, a sweet pastry coated in orange blossom water. Now that’s Ramadan done right.