Salads & cooked mezze
Bakoula (Khobiza)
بقولة / خبيزة · bakoula / khobiza
Bakoula, also known as khobiza, is a cooked green salad made from wild mallow leaves, simmered down until tender with garlic, cumin, paprika and often preserved lemon and olives, until the leaves collapse into a dark, savoury, spoonable mass. Earthy and slightly mineral, it's one of the less internationally known but deeply loved dishes on the Moroccan cooked-salad table.
- Origin
- Across Morocco
- Type
- Cooked wild greens salad
- Eaten at
- Starter, mezze, Shabbat and family tables
- Key flavour
- Cumin, preserved lemon, garlic, greens
What Bakoula is
Wild mallow (khobiza) leaves are cleaned and simmered until completely soft, then cooked down further with garlic, olive oil, cumin and paprika until the greens collapse into a thick, dark, savoury purée-like salad, similar in texture to cooked spinach but earthier and slightly more mineral.
Chopped preserved lemon and cracked olives are folded in for many versions, adding brightness and salt against the greens' natural bitterness, and the whole dish is served at room temperature like the rest of the cooked-salad spread.
Origin & story
Bakoula carries particular significance in Moroccan Jewish cuisine, where it is a traditional dish for Shabbat tables and festive occasions including the post-Passover Mimouna celebration, though it is enjoyed across Moroccan households of all backgrounds as part of the everyday cooked-salad repertoire.
Wild mallow grows easily and cheaply across Morocco, making bakoula a thrifty way of turning foraged or market greens into a substantial, flavourful dish — a tradition that reflects the resourcefulness running through much of Moroccan home cooking.
Key ingredients at a glance
- Wild mallow (khobiza) leaves
- Garlic and olive oil
- Cumin and paprika
- Preserved lemon, chopped
- Olives
- A little chilli (optional)
This is a flavour snapshot, not a recipe.
When & how it's eaten
Like other cooked salads, bakoula is served in a small bowl among an array of other starters, eaten with bread rather than a fork, at room temperature or barely warm.
It appears often on Shabbat and festive Moroccan Jewish tables, and equally as a simple, everyday cooked salad in family homes across the country.
Regional variations
Some versions keep it very plain — just greens, garlic and cumin — while others add preserved lemon, olives or even a little dried beef for richness. Spinach or chard is sometimes substituted where mallow isn't available.
It sits alongside zaalouk and taktouka in the wider family of Moroccan cooked salades cuites that open a meal.
Where to try it in Marrakech
Bakoula is more often home cooking than restaurant fare; traditional Marrakech restaurants with a broad mezze spread sometimes include it, and it's worth asking for by name.
A Moroccan salads and mezze class can introduce bakoula alongside the more familiar zaalouk and taktouka — explore the wider cooked-salad tradition in the guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is bakoula?
A cooked Moroccan salad made from wild mallow (khobiza) leaves, simmered soft with garlic, cumin and paprika, often finished with preserved lemon and olives.
Is bakoula linked to Moroccan Jewish cuisine?
Yes — it holds a particular place on Shabbat and Mimouna tables in Moroccan Jewish tradition, while also being enjoyed as an everyday cooked salad more broadly.
What does bakoula taste like?
Earthy and slightly mineral, softened by garlic and olive oil and lifted by the salt and citrus tang of preserved lemon.