Asida is a very traditional dish throughout the Maghreb, and that includes Morocco. However, as we explain in this article, it isn’t always easy to find, as it’s a preparation associated with a very specific day in the Muslim year. In any case, keep reading to find out whether on your next trip you’ll have the chance to see it… or whether you’ll have to settle for making it at home and experiencing that way the pleasure Moroccans feel when they eat it.
What asida is
The dish known as asida or assida is a simple dough-like preparation, made from cooked wheat flour. Other ingredients are added to the dough, such as smen, a very intense-tasting butter that can even be slightly rancid, and is highly characteristic. In other Maghreb countries, such as Libya, honey is often added to give it a sweet touch.
As we suggest in the title, some call it the “porridge” of the Maghreb because it has a certain resemblance, but the differences are also important. One of these differences is the texture: Spanish porridge is creamy, while asida is a kind of bun that stands firm on its base. In addition, the flour used is also different: while porridge is usually made with grass pea flour, asida is usually made with wheat semolina, with a larger, less processed grain.
And speaking of similarities, many others see it as similar to tagoulla, a dish of Berber or Amazigh origin, but it also differs in key ingredients, such as the flour, which in this case is usually corn. The fat ingredient is also often different, frequently olive oil.
A dish eaten by hand
Another similarity between asida and porridge is that it’s eaten without cutlery. But while porridge is usually eaten with pieces of bread and even without plates, scraping the pot because of its creamy consistency, asida is eaten directly with your fingers. Specifically, with your index and middle fingers, as its texture is more like a rich bun— not exactly fluffy, but smooth and unctuous.
In other Maghreb countries it often takes a round shape, like a ring cake, but without making a hole in the center: honey or other ingredients are usually poured over this “crater”. In Morocco it doesn’t necessarily take this shape, with Fez being the city where it’s easiest to find this dish on the date we mention below.
When asida is eaten
Finally, it’s time to find out when asida is eaten in Morocco: at breakfast on Eid Al Mawlid, that is, the holiday that commemorates the day of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. As the Muslim calendar is lunar, with 28 days per month, the date in the Western calendar varies each year. In 2026, that date is August 25–26, while in 2027 it falls on August 14–15.
And the choice of this date is no coincidence: apparently, it was one of the Prophet’s favorite foods, so it’s prepared and eaten in his honor on this date. A dish full of symbolism and religious feeling, and also an ode to humility—both because of how simple it is to make and because of its distinctive way of being eaten.
So if you’re lucky enough to visit Morocco on Eid Al Mawlid, don’t hesitate to ask where to try asida, so you can have breakfast like a true Maghrebi—suitable for vegetarians.
Photo: Mustafa Al-Elq (CC BY-SA 4.0)
