Sfenj are popular Moroccan and Algerian doughnut-like fritters made from sticky unleavened batter, similar to Libyan sfinz and Tunisian bambalouni. The dough is traditionally shaped into rings and deep-fried until it develops a golden, crispy exterior.
The interior should be fluffy, tender, and chewy. These fritters are usually served hot when sold by street vendors, and they can be consumed plain or dusted with icing sugar.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Baghrir is a soft and spongy Moroccan and Algerian pancake made with semolina flour. It is characterized by numerous holes on its surface, a result of yeast-produced bubbles in the batter that form and break as the pancake cooks. The pancake is cooked on one side only.
It's recommended to serve baghrir with fruit jams or a syrup made with butter and honey.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
These crescent-shaped cookies are usually associated with Morocco, but they can be found throughout Algeria and Tunisia in slightly different forms and under various names. Their name translates as gazelle ankles, but they are better known as gazelle horns.
They consist of a thin pastry shell that is wrapped around a sweet cinnamon-flavored almond filling. Both filling and the pastry dough are typically enriched with orange blossom water. The cookies can be coated in crushed nuts or optionally dipped in orange blossom water and then dusted with sugar, in which case they are typically referred as kaab el ghazal m'fenned.
Chebakia is a chewy, crunchy, and fragrant Moroccan pastry made by arranging strips of dough into a flower shape. It is then fried, coated in honey, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. This sweet treat is traditionally prepared during the month of Ramadan, and is typically served alongside harira.
It takes a lot of time and effort to prepare chebakia, so Moroccan women often ask sisters, mothers, or friends to help them in making large quantities of these cookies.
These traditional Moroccan twice-baked cookies come in both sweet and savory versions. They are prepared with shortbread or yeasted dough that is usually enriched with orange blossom water, aniseed, or citrus zest, as well as toasted nuts and dried fruit such as almonds, walnuts, raisins, pistachios, or sesame seeds.
Often dubbed as the Moroccan biscotti, these crunchy treats are best paired with tea or coffee.
Ktefa or jawhara is a layered Moroccan dessert that is assembled with paper-thin sheets of fried warqa pastry. The filling between the crispy layers is usually made with a combination of toasted ground or roughly chopped almonds and sugar, while the whole dessert is served doused in a custard cream that is flavored with orange blossom water.
Ktefa or jawhara consists of five to six layers and may come garnished with almond slivers, cinnamon, powdered sugar, mint, or fresh fruit. The dish is also popular in France, where it goes as pastilla au lait.
M’hanncha or snake cake is a traditional dessert in which warqa pastry is filled with a delicious almond paste, then shaped into a snake-like form. Although there are numerous recipes for the almond paste, it is typically prepared with almonds, sugar, cinnamon, mastic powder, butter, and orange flower water.
M’hanncha can be shaped into small coils, but at social gatherings and festive occasions, it is made in a large version, so the guests can enjoy it by breaking off smaller portions from the end of the coil. When baked, the pastry is often dusted with powdered sugar or brushed with warm honey.
Seffa is a traditional dish that is typically reserved for celebrations and festivities. It consists of either vermicelli noodles or couscous combined with a savory-sweet onion sauce and a topping of icing sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and ground almonds.
It is not unusual to see pieces of chicken in the dish, as there are a number of variations on seffa. The dish is quite easy to prepare, and it is usually served as a side dish. It is recommended to pair seffa with a glass of warm milk.
MOST ICONIC Seffa
Ghoriba are traditional Middle Eastern cookies that come in a few varieties – some can be chewy, while others have a shortbread-like, crumbly texture. The cookies are traditionally shaped into balls or disks, and often have characteristical cracks across their surface.
Ghoriba cookies usually consist of flour, sugar, butter, and almonds. It is recommended to serve them with a cup of tea or coffee on the side.
Raib is a Moroccan-style yogurt that is usually prepared at home. The base is made with milk, yogurt, sugar, and it is often flavored with orange blossom water, rose water, syrups, mint, or orange. When the ingredients are combined, the mix needs to rest for several hours in a warm place.
The texture of this yogurt can vary, from soft to firm, but it should always be served well-chilled. Raib is usually homemade, but it is also available at the local markets and mahlaba stores that typically sell dairy products and pastries. It is enjoyed as a dessert, and it is also commonly eaten for iftar or suhur (the meal consumed early in the morning before fasting).
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 13 Moroccan Desserts” list until March 15, 2025, 1,680 ratings were recorded, of which 322 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.