Tangia Marrakchia is a traditional dish from Marrakech, famous for its slow cooking and tender meat. Unlike a tagine, it is traditionally prepared in a tall clay pot called a tangia.

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef or lamb, cut into large pieces
• 3–4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 preserved lemon, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon saffron or turmeric
• 1–2 tablespoons smen (optional)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• A small amount of water

👨‍🍳 Traditional Preparation

1. Prepare the meat
Place the meat pieces in the tangia clay pot.

2. Add the ingredients
Add garlic, preserved lemon, cumin, saffron/turmeric, smen, olive oil, and salt.

3. Add a little water
Pour in a small amount of water—just enough to create moisture during the long cooking process.

4. Seal the tangia
Cover the opening securely with cooking paper or another appropriate heat-safe covering.

5. Slow cook
Traditionally in Marrakech, the tangia is taken to a farnatchi, a communal furnace traditionally associated with the neighborhood hammam, where it cooks slowly for several hours.

For a home version, you can use a covered oven-safe pot and cook it slowly at around 150°C (300°F) for approximately 3–4 hours, until the meat is very tender. Cooking times vary depending on the meat and oven.

6. Check and serve
When the meat is tender and the cooking juices have reduced, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Serve hot with Moroccan bread.