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Food and Water Safety in Morocco

Q: Can you drink tap water in Morocco?

City tap water is treated but visiting stomachs are not used to it: stick to bottled or filtered water (5-10 dirhams a bottle) and you remove the main risk.

Q: Is street food in Morocco safe?

Yes, if you pick busy stalls serving food hot and cooked to order. A queue of local customers is the best hygiene rating available.

Moroccan food is one of the world's great cuisines - and you should eat it fearlessly, with a few smart habits. Most traveler stomach trouble comes from the same few mistakes; avoid them and enjoy everything from street grills to the 15 essential dishes.

Water

Drink bottled, filtered or purified water - tap water in big cities is treated and locals drink it, but a traveling gut has no antibodies for the local flora. Sealed bottles cost 5 - 10 Dhs; a filter bottle saves plastic on longer trips.
Ice in tourist restaurants is generally made from treated water; skip it at street level.
Brushing teeth with tap water is fine for most; the cautious use bottled the first days.
Mint tea is always safe - boiled, and gloriously so.

Street Food: Eat It, Smartly

Follow the queue: a busy stall with Moroccan customers turns its food over fast - that is your hygiene certificate.
Hot and cooked to order beats warm-and-waiting: grills, fried fish, harira, msemen off the pan.
Fruit you peel (oranges, bananas, pomegranates) is always safe; washed-looking salads at street level, less so.
Dairy caution: stick to packaged dairy and busy milk bars; roadside unpasteurized milk is for iron stomachs.

If Your Stomach Rebels Anyway

Hydrate with oral rehydration salts (pharmacies everywhere stock them, and pharmacists are excellent first advisors).
Bland food (rice, bread, bananas), rest, and most episodes pass in 24 - 48 hours.
Fever, blood or persistence beyond two days - see a doctor: private clinics in cities are quick and affordable.

Ramadan and Special Cases

During Ramadan, food service shifts to the evening in local spots - the ftour spread is a feast worth joining. Pregnant travelers and small children should apply the same rules more strictly (bottled water only, no unpasteurized dairy) - more in Morocco with kids.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you drink tap water in Morocco?

City tap water is treated, but visitors' stomachs are not used to it - stick to bottled or filtered water and you remove the main risk cheaply.

Is street food in Morocco safe to eat?

Yes, if you choose busy stalls serving food hot and cooked to order. The queue of locals is the best hygiene rating available.

What medicines should I pack for Morocco?

Oral rehydration salts, your usual anti-diarrheal, and any personal prescriptions - though Moroccan pharmacies are everywhere and well stocked (see our health page).