The short answer
Khobz is the round, everyday Moroccan loaf that comes with almost every meal. In the medina, families shape the dough at home and carry it on trays, under a cloth, to the neighbourhood ferran, the communal wood-fired oven. At the table it is your spoon, used to scoop salads, tagines and grilled meat.
In more detail
It arrives fresh at every meal, and at the Jemaa el-Fnaa stalls bread and olives may be set down before you order, so ask whether they will be on the bill.
Khobz turns up all over the street-food scene. Mechoui lamb is eaten with round bread, merguez is pushed into half a round with harissa, and maakouda potato fritters are tucked into khobz with salad. Plain khobz is also a reliable choice for small children.
You can learn to make it. Some Marrakech cooking classes focus on bread, kneading and shaping khobz for the neighbourhood oven alongside msemen and baghrir. Breakfast breads are a world of their own; khobz is the bread of lunch and dinner.
Good to know
- Use your right hand to tear and share bread.
- Ask before you photograph a ferran baker at work.
- Look for bread-focused cooking classes.
- Try fresh khobz at lunch in the lanes around Bab Doukkala, with brochettes and harira.