Food of Western Sahara
Cooking in Western Sahara follows desert traditions, with camel and goat meat, dates, barley, rice and tea. Sahrawi meals are shared, and tea is prepared in three rounds of increasing sweetness. Dishes are simple and filling, shaped by the nomadic way of life and the Atlantic coast.
Couscous
Steamed semolina served with vegetables and lamb, goat or camel.
How to make Couscous- Main dishes (5)
- Breakfast (1)
- Street food (1)
- Soups (1)
- Salads (1)
- Desserts and sweets (2)
- Drinks (2)
- Fruits and produce (3)
Staples
- camel meat
- goat
- dates
- barley
- rice
- milk
Signature flavors
- mint
- cumin
- black pepper
- saffron
Main dishes
Steamed semolina served with vegetables and lamb, goat or camel.
Key ingredients: couscous, lamb, carrots, chickpeasFull guide →
Whole lamb roasted slowly with cumin and salt.
Key ingredients: lamb, cumin, salt
Camel simmered with onions and spices until tender.
Key ingredients: camel, onion, tomato, spices
Meat and vegetables slow-cooked with spices.
Key ingredients: meat, vegetables, olivesFull guide →
Fresh Atlantic fish cooked with rice and tomato.
Key ingredients: fish, rice, tomatoBreakfast
Flaky folded flatbread served with butter or honey.
Key ingredients: flour, semolina, butterFull guide →Street food
Skewers of lamb or beef grilled over coals.
Key ingredients: meat, cumin, onionSoups
Tomato and lentil soup.
Key ingredients: tomato, lentils, chickpeasFull guide →Salads
A simple fresh salad with cumin and olive oil.
Key ingredients: tomato, onion, cumin, olive oilDesserts and sweets
Crumbly almond or semolina cookies.
Key ingredients: flour, almonds, sugar
A sweet crumb of toasted flour, almonds and sesame.
Key ingredients: flour, almonds, sesame, honeyDrinks
Green tea poured in three rounds of increasing sweetness, with mint.
Key ingredients: green tea, mint, sugarFull guide →
Fresh or soured camel milk, a nomadic staple.
Key ingredients: camel milkFruits and produce
Dates eaten with milk and tea.
Key ingredients: with milk, snacksFull guide →
Sweet desert melons.
Key ingredients: chilled
Dried figs.
Key ingredients: dried, snacksFull guide →Dish guides from Western Sahara
More cuisines of Northern Africa
Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.
- Moroccan cuscus, from Casablanca, September 2018: Lmmima, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mechoui: Andre Piquet, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- 07. Camel Profile, near Silverton, NSW, 07.07.2007: Jjron, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Tajine-marocain-un-plat-varie-et-sain (cropped): BBouchra00, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Fish stuffed with Thai herbs: User:Mattes, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- مسمن: إيان, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Şiş kebap and pilav: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Harira: Kattusa24, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- A large mixed salad: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Gurabija (гурабија,Qurabiya; Cuisine of Serbia): Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Sfouf: DocteurCosmos, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Tunisian Tea with pine nuts: sky#walker, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Fresh camel milk (Dubai) (cropped): krebsmaus07 from Flickr, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Dates005: Nepenthes, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Cantaloupe and canary melon: Atomicbre at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Ficus carica L, 1771: Trew, C.J, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
