Cooking with Oranges
Recipes with Oranges — Morocco's Favourite Fruit Salad and More
Oranges (limoun in some regions, tchina elsewhere) are everywhere in Morocco, from the citrus groves around Fez and Berkane to the mounds piled on every fruit stall, and the country has built an entire dessert culture around them. The Moroccan orange and cinnamon salad, often finished with orange blossom water, is one of the simplest and most memorable sweets in the national repertoire. This guide covers the classic ways oranges are used, both sweet and savoury, and how to choose good fruit at the market.
The classic orange and cinnamon salad
Peeled orange segments or thin rounds, arranged on a plate, dusted with cinnamon and sometimes a spoon of sugar, finished with a few drops of orange blossom water — this is the dessert that ends countless Moroccan meals, requiring almost no skill and relying entirely on the quality of the fruit. Chilling it briefly before serving sharpens the flavour and makes it feel more like a proper dessert than a plate of sliced fruit.
The best Moroccan recipes with oranges
Orange and cinnamon salad, the ubiquitous dessert described above. Orange, olive and radish salad, a savoury pairing that plays orange's sweetness against briny olives. Fresh orange juice, squeezed to order at stalls everywhere, especially around Jemaa el-Fna. Orange and date salad, sometimes with a few walnuts. Orange and cinnamon salad is the essential one to learn — it takes minutes and never fails to impress.
Pairing oranges with orange blossom water
It sounds repetitive, but orange blossom water intensifies rather than duplicates the flavour of fresh orange, adding a floral top note the fruit alone doesn't have. A few drops are enough — more than that and the perfume overwhelms the fruit's own sweetness. This pairing works equally well drizzled over orange segments or stirred into the syrup of an orange-based pastry.
Choosing oranges in Moroccan markets
Morocco grows several orange varieties, with Berkane in the northeast particularly known for sweet, thin-skinned fruit. Choose oranges that feel heavy for their size and firm to the touch; skin colour varies naturally and isn't a reliable guide to ripeness or sweetness the way it is with some other fruits. A kilo typically runs 4-8 MAD in season.
Cook's tips
- Chill orange and cinnamon salad for 20-30 minutes before serving — it sharpens the flavour considerably.
- Use only a few drops of orange blossom water; too much turns the fruit's flavour perfumey rather than bright.
- Choose oranges by weight, not colour — a heavy orange is a juicy orange, regardless of skin tone.
- Try orange with olives and a little onion for a savoury salad that surprises most first-timers.
- Squeeze orange juice fresh and drink it the same day; it loses brightness quickly once made.
Questions about cooking with Oranges
What is the Moroccan orange and cinnamon salad?
Peeled orange segments or slices dusted with cinnamon, sometimes a little sugar, and finished with a few drops of orange blossom water. It is one of the most common desserts in Morocco, simple to make and reliant on good fruit.
Do Moroccans eat oranges in savoury dishes?
Yes — orange, olive and radish salad is a well-known savoury pairing, and orange segments sometimes appear alongside dates and walnuts in mixed salads. It is less common than the sweet cinnamon version but not unusual.
Which Moroccan region grows the best oranges?
Berkane, in the northeast, is particularly known for sweet, thin-skinned oranges, though citrus is grown widely across the country, including around Fez and further south.
How do you choose good oranges at a Moroccan market?
Pick fruit that feels heavy for its size and firm rather than soft — weight is a far better indicator of juiciness than skin colour, which varies naturally between varieties.
Cook these dishes with a local in Marrakech
Learn to handle oranges the Moroccan way in a hands-on cooking class, or taste it across the medina on a guided food tour.