History

Chebakia is the canonical Ramadan sweet across Morocco. Families fold thousands of pastries in the weeks before the holy month, sealed in tins for the iftar table; the pastry traditionally accompanies the harira-and-date opening of each fast. Outside Ramadan, chebakia turns up at weddings and the larger pastry shops year-round.

Common allergens: Gluten, Sesame

Make it at home

Yield Makes 24Hands-on 1 hr 30 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 500 g plain flour
  • 100 g toasted sesame seeds, ground
  • 1 tsp ground aniseed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Pinch saffron
  • 1 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 tbsp orange-blossom water
  • 50 g unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Vinegar, splash
  • Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • 500 g honey
  • 2 tbsp orange-blossom water
  • 100 g extra toasted sesame seeds, for finishing

Method

  1. Mix flour, ground sesame, aniseed, cinnamon, saffron and yeast. Add melted butter, egg, vinegar and orange-blossom water. Knead 10 minutes to a firm dough. Rest 1 hour.
  2. Roll dough thin (3 mm). Cut into 6 cm squares. Cut 4 slits in each square, fold and pinch the corners through to form a rose shape.
  3. Heat oil to 170C. Fry chebakia in batches 2 to 3 minutes until deep golden.
  4. Warm honey with orange-blossom water in a wide pan. Drop fried pastries in 30 seconds at a time, turning to coat. Lift out; place on a tray.
  5. Sprinkle generously with toasted sesame seeds while still sticky. Cool fully; store airtight up to 2 weeks.

Tip from the editors. The honey must be warm, not hot, or the pastry softens too far. Test one first; if it goes limp, the honey is too hot.

Where to eat chebakia

Chebakia in Marrakech

Patisserie des Princes ★ 4.2

Bakery$medinaDaily 06:00-23:00

Patisserie des Princes on Rue Bab Agnaou in Marrakech's medina runs the budget tea-room: pastries 14 to 30 MAD, air-conditioned back room, daily from 06:00.

Try: Moroccan pastry and mint tea

Tip: Pastries 14 to 18 DH single; box of mixed for under 50 DH. The back tea room is a heat refuge for the price of a coffee.

32 Rue Bab Agnaou, Medina, Marrakech 40000

Patisserie Amandine ★ 4.4

Bakery$$guelizDaily 07:00-21:00Walk-in onlyFrench-Moroccan pastries with almond focus

Patisserie Amandine in Marrakech's Gueliz, since 1997, runs the city's best French-Moroccan bakery counter; viennoiseries, flans, almond pastries.

Tip: Take-away counter at the front; cafe at the back. Lighter mornings; afternoons fill with Gueliz regulars.

Worth the queue: Opera cake and cornes de gazelle

175 Rue Mohamed El Beqal, Gueliz, Marrakech 40000

Bacha Coffee ★ 4.4

Coffee roaster$$$medinaTue-Sun 10:00-18:00; closed MondayPublic cafe

Bacha Coffee at Dar el Bacha palace in Marrakech serves over 200 100-percent Arabica blends with table-side pour-over service and whole-bean retail counter.

Tip: Closed Mondays. The whole-bean retail counter sells the same 200-plus blends as the salon, with no wait.

Sources from: Yemen, Ethiopia, Brazil, Colombia

How they serve: Pour over, Espresso, Whole bean retail

Dar el Bacha, Rue Fatima Zahra, Marrakech 40000

More cities are in research. Want chebakia covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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