Chebakia — Fez, Morocco

Chebakia is a fried, honey-dipped pastry shaped into a rose, and in Morocco it is closely tied to the run-up to Ramadan: for weeks before the fasting month begins, households prepare large batches, since the pastry keeps well and is meant to last through the month rather than being made fresh each evening. This version is reported from Fez, a city known for treating the shaping of chebakia as a matter of skill and precision: cooks are judged on how thinly the dough is rolled, how even the folded petals of each rose come out, and how consistently golden the pieces turn once fried. The dough itself is flavored with ground anise, toasted sesame, cinnamon and orange blossom water, which sets the base flavor before frying and honey add sweetness. To shape it, the dough is rolled out thin, cut into small rectangles, and slit several times down the middle before a finger is worked between the strips and the corners pinched and folded over to twist the piece into a rose. Frying is done at a moderate heat so the inside cooks through before the outside darkens too much, and the pieces are plunged straight from the oil into honey warmed and scented with orange blossom water, then left to drain before being finished with a scattering of sesame seeds. Served alongside the soup harira at the meal that breaks the day's fast, a piece of chebakia is meant to restore some energy quickly, its sugar and fat compensating for a day without food. Made in quantity and stored in an airtight tin, it is also one of the few Ramadan sweets expected to last the household through the entire month rather than being eaten within days.