Chebakia is the rose-shaped sesame-and-honey pastry of Ramadan: strips of orange-blossom-spiced dough folded into flowers, deep-fried, then dunked in warm honey and finished with toasted sesame.

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.

Where to eat Chebakia in Marrakech

3 editor picks for Chebakia in Marrakech, ranked by editorial score. All Marrakech signature dishes · Chebakia across every city.

  • Bacha Coffee

    Drink 100% Arabica Coffee of the Sultan

    Bacha Coffee occupies Marrakech's 1910 Dar el Bacha palace: 200-plus Arabica blends, marble salons, 10 MAD museum-only entry to dine, expect a wait.

    DetailsDirections

  • Patisserie Amandine

    Drink Cafe almond pastry combo

    Patisserie Amandine in Marrakech's Gueliz, since 1997: French and Moroccan pastries with almond focus, the café side at 175 Rue Mohamed El Beqal opens 07:00.

    DetailsDirections

  • Patisserie des Princes

    Order Cornes de gazelle and chebakia

    Patisserie des Princes on Rue Bab Agnaou near Marrakech's Jemaa el-Fna runs an air-conditioned tea room behind the counter, daily from 06:00, since the 1990s.

    DetailsDirections

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Make it at home

Serves Makes 243 hrAdvanced

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.

Editor tip. 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.

Common allergens: Gluten, Sesame.