The Breads of Morocco

One day long ago a Moroccan asked if it was possible to exhaust the number of ways one could combine flour water and sugar and still yield bread…they are still working on the answer.

But seriously Moroccans love their bread. Two of the four meals a day consist mostly of bread and the other two usually include it! So this page is a work in progress dedicated to bread.  I’m sure we will continue to discover more forms of bread throughout our service to add to this page, and hopefully we’ll add some recipes once we figure them out!

xobz

Xobz is the staple bread in Morocco.  It is always round, but can vary regionally.  In Ifrane it was often dark brown and crumbly.  In our current town, it is usually dense but moist and delicious.

 

Milwi/Mismn

Milwi and Mismn are a delicious pancake-like bread made with lots of oil.  The dough is stretched out really really thin and then folded into layers so that it is crispy and delicious.  Our town makes a distinction between milwi and mismn in that milwi is circular and has more layers while mismn is a square.

maxmr/botbot

A personal favorite of Matt’s.  This one is made with the same recipe as milwi, but they add some yeast and let it rise.  Then instead of flattening it and making lots of crispy layers, they just shape it into circles, and cook it in a skillet on the stove.  It’s wonderful.  Especially with butter and honey…mmmm…Anne’s still working on perfecting the recipe (and Matt is a much too willing guinea pig), but once she does, rest assured we will post it on our blog.

 

Krachl (remember ch=sh in English)

[picture coming soon…inshallah]

Krachl is kind of reminiscent of a pretzel, but light and fluffy instead of dense.  It’s a kind of a sweet bread with some herbs in it.  We’re always happy to see this one on the breakfast or kaskroot table!

 

baGrir

AKA Crater Crepes, or at least that is what we have lovingly named them in English.  They are a lot like crepes, but since they only cook them on one side they end up with these rough holes on one side.  Always served with honey or jelly, and always sticky (because of the holes…).

 

Hrcha

Can be made as small round loaves, big ones, or as cookies, but all of them are called the same thing.  They are made with semolina flour and have a cornbread-like taste.  The Harcha pictured were made by none other than Anne Stuckey!  And they tasted just like they were made by a Moroccan!

 

That’s all for now.  Check back later for more breads of Morocco!

 

Darija Word of the Post:    الخوبز زوين        lxobz zwin         The bread is delicious