Breakfast in Agadir: the Moroccan ftor explained, and where to try it

Short answer: "ftor" is the Moroccan word for breakfast. The classic version is flatbreads (msemen, malaoui, harcha) with fresh cheese, honey, olive oil and amlou, sometimes an omelette with khliaa (preserved beef), and tea or coffee. In Agadir you can try the whole set at Wake Up, a café on Avenue Mohamed El Fassi, as the Ftor Gourmand (58 MAD) or piece by piece from 5 MAD.

What each item is

• Msemen (6 MAD): a square, layered flatbread, pan-fried, chewy inside and crisp outside. Eaten with honey and butter or with cheese.
• Malaoui (6 MAD): the round, coiled cousin of msemen, flakier.
• Harcha (5 MAD): a semolina griddle cake, crumbly, good with jben and honey. Also as harcha tartinée, already spread.
• Jben (7 MAD): fresh white cheese, mild and slightly salty.
• Amlou (15 MAD): ground almonds, argan oil and honey, the spread of the Souss region around Agadir. A peanut version exists at 8 MAD.
• Khliaa: beef preserved in fat and spices; in an omelette it is the savoury heart of the ftor (Omelette Khliaa, 28 MAD).
• Bissara (12 MAD): a thick fava-bean soup with cumin and olive oil, more of a cold-morning dish.

Two ways to order it at Wake Up

1. The set: Ftor Gourmand, 58 MAD dine-in (68 MAD take-away). Msemen, malaoui, harcha, jben, amlou, honey, khliaa omelette, a small orange juice and a hot drink. Enough for one hungry person or two light eaters.
2. À la carte: pick from the À la carte section and add a nss-nss (17 MAD, half coffee half milk) or a mint or verbena tea (17 MAD). A plate of msemen, harcha, jben and honey with a coffee comes to about 43 MAD.

When and where

Breakfast is served from 8 am. The café is at Avenue Mohamed El Fassi, Agadir 80000 (Hay Salam), open until midnight, Friday with a break from 1:30 pm to 2:15 pm. Take-away and delivery within 6 km through wakeup.ma/order. If you prefer a Western breakfast, see the brunch guide.