Smoothies & milk drinks
L'ben (Moroccan Buttermilk)
اللبن · l'ben
L'ben is traditional Moroccan buttermilk, the thin, tangy liquid left behind after milk is churned into butter, historically a byproduct rather than a drink made on purpose but valued in its own right for centuries. Plain or lightly salted, it is a rural and traditional staple, drunk cold on a hot day or poured over food, distinct from the thicker, spooned <a href='/drinks/raib'>raib</a>.
- Type
- Traditional churned buttermilk
- Served
- Cold
- When
- Hot days, traditional meals
- Key flavour
- Tangy, thin, lightly salty
What L'ben is
L'ben is the liquid left over after fresh milk is churned to separate out butter, traditionally in a goatskin or wooden churn, leaving behind a thin, tangy, slightly effervescent liquid. It is distinct from raib, which is a whole, thickened fermented milk rather than a churning byproduct.
Historically a rural staple, born naturally out of the process of making butter at home, l'ben remains popular today, sold in bottles at markets for people without access to their own churned milk, plain or with a pinch of salt.
How it's made & served
Traditionally, fresh milk is left to ferment slightly and then churned vigorously until the butterfat separates and clumps into butter, leaving the thin, tangy liquid behind as l'ben. It is strained and can be drunk immediately or chilled.
Commercially, it is made with controlled fermentation and churning to replicate the same tangy, thin result at scale, sold in bottles. It is usually drunk plain or lightly salted rather than sweetened, and sometimes poured over couscous or bread.
In the glass, at a glance
- Fresh milk, fermented and churned
- A pinch of salt, optional
- Nothing else in the traditional version
- Sold bottled commercially
A flavour snapshot of what goes in.
When & where you drink it in Marrakech
L'ben is sold bottled in grocers and the neighbourhood markets across Marrakech, and it remains especially associated with rural and traditional Moroccan households, where butter-churning at home was once routine.
It is often drunk alongside a simple meal of bread or couscous rather than as a standalone café order, and it is a good topic to raise on a Marrakech breakfast tour covering the country's traditional dairy staples.
Cultural notes
L'ben's origin as a byproduct of butter-making, rather than a drink designed on purpose, says something about the resourcefulness of traditional Moroccan rural life, where nothing from the milk was wasted and every stage of the process yielded something useful.
Its continued presence in Moroccan markets today, even as commercial butter production has largely replaced home churning, shows how a once-practical byproduct became valued enough in its own right to be recreated deliberately. Read more in our guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is l'ben?
L'ben is traditional Moroccan buttermilk, the thin, tangy liquid left over after churning milk into butter, drunk plain or lightly salted.
How is l'ben different from raib?
Raib is a thickened, whole fermented milk eaten with a spoon; l'ben is the thinner liquid left after churning butter out of milk, traditionally a byproduct rather than a milk fermented on its own.
Where can you buy l'ben in Marrakech?
At grocers and neighbourhood markets, sold bottled, made with controlled fermentation and churning to recreate the traditional homemade result.