Mrouzia
Mrouzia is the emblematic dish of Eid al-Adha, traditionally cooked from the meat of the animal sacrificed for the occasion. The combination of lamb, raisins, almonds and honey is among the sweetest meat dishes in Moroccan cuisine, a trait that often surprises visitors used to savory stews. In the past, the generous amount of honey wasn't just for flavor — the sugar in honey acted as a natural preservative, allowing mrouzia to keep for weeks without a refrigerator, at a time when the Eid sacrifice produced more meat than could be eaten right away. Today, even though refrigerators have removed that practical need, the recipe has stayed unchanged, and its intense sweetness still marks the dish as a special one, reserved for celebrations.
The honey goes in at the very end, off the heat
Added too early, it would caramelize and burn, turning bitter
The raisins go in during the last 30 minutes of simmering
They plump up and sweeten the sauce, without turning to mush
The almonds fry separately, never simmered in the stew
They stay crunchy, a needed contrast against the soft, sweet meat
A traditional Eid al-Adha dish, cooked from the sacrificed animal's meat
The generous honey originally also acted as a preservative, before refrigerators
Ingredients 4 servings
- 1kg lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks
- 2 onions, grated
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus a stick
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- A pinch of saffron threads
- 200g raisins
- 100g whole blanched almonds
- 4 tbsp honey
- Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
- Salt, to taste
How to make it
- 1BROWN THE LAMB: brown the lamb chunks in oil, add the grated onion, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, saffron and salt.
- 2BRAISE: cover with water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 1.5 hours, until the meat is tender.
- 3ADD THE RAISINS: add the raisins in the last 30 minutes, let the sauce reduce and thicken.
- 4FRY THE ALMONDS: separately, fry the whole almonds in a little oil until golden, drain them.
- 5FINISH WITH HONEY: stir the honey into the sauce at the end, with the heat off, so it doesn't caramelize, adjust the seasoning.
- 6SERVE: sprinkle the fried almonds and sesame seeds on top, serve with bread.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
