Menus

When I travelled to Morocco for the first time, I was looking forward to reading menus in Arabic. But I was disappointed. Most menus are in French or English, even in places that aren’t aimed at tourists.

Here are a some French words that are useful to know if you’re eating out in the Rif Mountains. I’ll start with meat and fish. I often see these words on menus, both those written on walls and those on paper.

• poulet = chicken
• dinde = turkey
• viande hachée = minced beef (called kefta in Darija)
• poisson = fish
• crevette = prawns
• foie = liver

Let’s move on to plants. I come across these words from time to time, especially when I’m reading menus in detail.

• vegetables = légumes
• pomme de terre = potato
• carotte = carrot
• maïs = maize
• haricots = beans
• pois chiches = chickpeas

Time for drinks. The words for juice, coffee and tea are no mystery: jus, café, thé. If the juice contains avocado, banana or pineapple, it’s also a piece of cake: avocat, banane, ananas. So let’s look at a few words that aren’t quite so easy to guess.

• eau = water
• lait = milk
• pomme = apple
• fraise = strawberry
• boisson = drink
• boisson chaude = hot drink

We’ll finish with a few more French words that might come in handy if you are hungry in Morocco.

• déjeuner = lunch
• petit-déjeuner = breakfast
• menu enfant = children’s menu
• prix = price
• livraison = home delivery
• bon appétit = enjoy your meal