Skip to content

Collection

Mauritania Recipes

A Saharan land of roast lamb and desert hospitality. Not sure what to eat in Mauritania? Start with Aïch (Millet Couscous in Chicken and Bean Broth), Leksour (Lamb Stew on Pancakes), Dates Stuffed with Butter and Lakh. Here are 7 authentic Mauritania recipes, each from a specific region, with cultural context and dietary substitutions for every table.
7 recipes
Méchoui
Nouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 230 minWhole lamb (or a shoulder) slow-roasted with cumin and salt until falling off the bone, desert feast food.
Lakh
Nouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 35 minSteamed millet couscous under cool sweetened curdled milk and fresh grated coconut, the Sahelian sweet Mauritania makes to mark the end of Ramadan.
Maru wa Lahmé
Nouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 90 minMeat and vegetables simmered in a mustard-scented broth, then rice cooked in that broth, the generous communal lunch of the Mauritanian table.
Dates Stuffed with Butter
Nouakchott, Mauritania · easy · 15 minPlump dates split and filled with cardamom-scented butter, a Saharan sweet of Mauritanian hospitality.
Mauritanian Couscous
Nouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 100 minSteamed semolina piled with lamb and Saharan vegetables in a spiced broth, Mauritania's share of the Maghreb couscous tradition.
Aïch (Millet Couscous in Chicken and Bean Broth)
Nouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 95 minCoarse hand-rolled millet couscous stirred into a paprika-stained chicken and bean broth until the grain drinks it up and thickens to a savoury porridge.
Leksour (Lamb Stew on Pancakes)
Nouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 100 minA spiced lamb and vegetable stew spooned over thin millet-and-wheat pancakes, rolled and eaten by hand.
← Browse all collections