Smen, a preserved butter found in Morocco and other parts of North Africa, is a tradition that dates back centuries.

If you are new to North African cuisine, it may take some getting used to, with its pungent, rancid smell, very similar to smelly cheese!

Moroccan Preserved Butter

How did Smen come about? Naturally, it was before the days of refrigeration that someone came upon the idea. The butter was heavily salted, stored in an airtight jar and left to ferment.

In fact, an old Berber custom is to bury a sealed jar of smen on the birth of one’s daughter, and to dig it up on the daughter’s wedding day, to flavour the food cooked for the guests. How awesome is that?

You’ll find smen used in all manner of dishes in Morocco and the rest of the Maghreb region: in couscous, tagine recipes and even as a spread. Given its strong constitution, a little goes a long way! While I almost always have some homemade smen at home, I use it very selectively as it’s not very popular with the family!

Smen Square in Morocco

I have been lucky enough to have visited Fez in Morocco a couple of times and in the medina, you’ll find Qaat Smen, or Smen Square, where the production of smen goes back centuries.

You’ll find all sorts of preserved butter here, and so much better than the mass produced ones you find in large shops. There are some really old smen here and surprisingly, the aroma and flavour isn’t as off putting as the slightly younger versions.

One of my favourites is the smen made with khlie, a type of preserved Moroccan meat. I currently have some maturing in the fridge and will do a post on it shortly.

Moroccan Khlea and Egg Tagine — Khlea and Egg Tagine

Making Smen at Home

If you fancy trying some smelly Moroccan butter, here’s an easy recipe! I am giving you the simplest version. You could also add herbs to the smen by brewing about a quarter cup of strong oregano or mint tea and kneading the tea into the butter.