The Moroccan Pastry : Introduction Part 1

The Moroccan pastry includes all the traditional pastries from Moroccan cuisine. These pastries are mostly made with almonds and honey and are usually accompanied with mint tea.

Below are some Moroccan pastries among the most famous (these can also be made somewhere else in Morocco and in the Arab world, but with variations or different names):

The baghrirs, Arab-Berber term used in North Africa, is a crepe prepared with semolina, flour, yeast and salt, served hot and soaked with butter and honey. It is also known as the edarnan tiγrifin or Berber, or a thousand holes. Light, spongy pancakes, baghrirs are baked only on one face, cooking, many small cavities of one or two millimeters appear on the upper side. 

The chebakia (or chbakia), also called m'kharqa, is generally prepared during Ramadan pastries.

The dough - prepared with flour, egg, orange flower water, vinegar, saffron, gum arabic, anise, almonds, cinnamon, sesame, olive oil and salt - is cut into rectangles in which are practiced in using a roulette four notches forming five tabs which are then entangled with skill to give the characteristic form of this pastry.

The chebakia is fried in vegetable oil, then dipped in honey and then rolled in sesame seeds.The ingredients and preparation methods may vary according to the traditions of each region. In Rabat, the chebbakia is called Mkharqa. At Fez, her name Griwech. In Salé, it is called El Qli. At Ouezzane, it is called El Hlou. In northern Morocco, her name Kwilech.