Juice

Fresh juice is available at many cafés and eateries in Morocco. The sight of colourful fruit on display and the sound of a powerful juicer are common when you take a walk in the city.

The juice menus are usually extensive. Orange, apple, banana and avocado are standard. Peach, pineapple, mango, kiwi and dragon fruit are not uncommon. Strawberries are also usually available; they can be fresh or frozen.

Apple, banana and others are usually mixed with either orange juice or milk. If you’re Swedish like me, this might seem strange; we’re used to apple juice diluted with water. But orange juice and milk are more interesting than water.

Before I came to Morocco, it had never occurred to me that juice could contain milk. But it works well. For example, I like:

• Apple and milk
• Banana and milk
• Strawberries and milk

At some juice bars, you can also choose whether you want almonds in your juice.

Panache

Panache is a juice made from a variety of fruits. It usually contains at least three different types. Panache containing avocado tends to cost a little more.

Avocado juice

My favourite juice is avocado. It’s always mixed with milk. It is both refreshing and filling.

Zaza

A more luxurious version of avocado juice is zaza (or za3za3 as it is usually written on the menus). As well as avocado juice, it contains fruit, dates and something crunchy like walnuts. In some places they decorate it with chocolate candy, which I don’t like.

Fruit salad

Fruit salad isn’t very common on the menus at juice bars, even though all the fruit is there. As I was walking towards the airport in Marrakech, I stopped at a café and asked for a fruit salad. I was told that unfortunately they didn’t have any. So I asked for a juice made from pineapple and mango, but with the fruit sliced rather than juiced. That was no problem. I also got peach and persimmon on my fruit plate.

Sweet is the norm

When I order juice, I always specify that I want it without sugar. Sweetening the juice is standard practice. If I order a zaza or fruit salad, I ask for it not to be topped with chocolate sauce.

Prices vary

The price of juice varies from place to place. In Al Hoceima, for example, there is a café by the sea that sells avocado juice for 15 dirhams, whilst the café next door charges 35 dirhams. In cafés in Hay al-Matar, I have drunk fruit juice that cost twice as much as in the rest of Nador. It tasted exactly the same.