Chebakia — Fez, Morocco

Chebakia — Fez, Morocco

Fez, Morocco

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In the weeks leading up to Ramadan, Moroccan kitchens smell of honey and sesame: it's chebakia season. The dough, flavoured with anise, toasted sesame, cinnamon and orange blossom water, is rolled out thinly, cut into slit rectangles, then folded and twisted between the fingers into a rose shape before being fried and plunged into boiling honey. Fez claims its origin and treats it as a matter of skill: the fineness of the dough, the evenness of the petals and the golden colour set a good hand apart. Served with harira, it restores a day's energy in a single bite.

Preparation

  1. 01

    Knead the flour with the sesame, anise, cinnamon, saffron, oil, butter, orange blossom water, yeast and a little warm water until you get a smooth dough. Rest for 30 minutes.

  2. 02

    Roll out thinly, cut into 8 x 6 cm rectangles and make 4 parallel slits in each. Pass a finger between the strips, pinch the opposite corners and turn inside out to form a rose.

  3. 03

    Fry over medium heat until golden. Plunge immediately into hot honey flavoured with orange blossom water, and drain.

  4. 04

    Sprinkle with sesame. Keeps for several weeks in an airtight tin.

Where this version sits

A single, final coordinate: Fez, Morocco. Another version of the same dish, elsewhere, gets its own point.

Photo: Indif — CC BY-SA 3.0

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