As I have been vegetarian for over 14 years, I know how difficult it can be to source vegetarian options on menus in England, let alone whilst travelling on holiday.Here is our guide to Vegetarian travel in Marrakech.

For many Moroccans, especially those who live more rural areas, vegetarian cuisine often means taking the meat off the Cous cous or Tajine or expertly eating around the meat. However, if you order a vegetarian meal at a café or restaurant in Marrakech then this is definitely something you don’t have to worry about. As meat is an expensive luxury for most locals, there is no risk of ordering what looks like a vegetarian dish and finding a big chunk of meat hidden amongst the fresh vegetables. Getting exactly what you order is perhaps the most basic thing one can expect when dining out, but this is a great place to start when avoiding certain food.

When it comes to Moroccan cuisine, there is in fact a wide selection of vegetarian choices. (Indeed, as a predominantly Muslim country pig is already off the menu.) Every single café, restaurant and street-food stall has an excellent range of salads ranging from the standard Moroccan Salad – made from tomato, cucumber, onion and fresh herbs – to more adventurous salads including aubergine (eggplant), olives and a range of fresh vegetables. Another menu-staple is 5-vegetable cous cous and, a personal favorite of mine, the Vegetable Tajine. Many carnivorous tourists and travellers have in fact revealed to me that they prefer the Veggie-Tajine to its meat-based brother.

If you are looking for some less traditional Vegetarian cooking, then my top recommendation is Earth Café. Located just 5 minutes away from Jemaa el-Fna, very close to Dar Habiba, Earth Café is the only exclusively vegetarian restaurant in Marrakech. All the food on the imaginative menu is grown on the Earth café farm, just outside Marrakech. It is even possible arrange to visit the farm where they also offer cooking classes.

Ultimately, although the concept of being vegan, vegetarian or even preferring not to eat meat is an alien concept for most Moroccans, they are very accommodating . Where they will ask a lot of questions about your eating habits – a process that is pretty much the standard response all around the world – you will never feel judged. Therefore, although Marrakech and Morocco doesn’t exactly make it onto the list of ‘top vegetarian travel destinations’, it is a place that you can visit without worrying about going hungry and you will find some delicious surprises.