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Food and drink

Gazelle horns

An arch-shaped pastry filled with almond paste, in Arabic kaab el ghazal. It is one of the most widespread pastries in Morocco.

What it is

Kaab el ghazal is an almond pastry shaped like an arch, with a heart of almond paste. The study for WIPO and OMPIC counts it, with ghriba and m’hancha, among the most widespread and popular Moroccan pastries.

Where it comes from

In their survey of the sweets of Tetouan, Hassan Akdi and Noureddine Achboun list the pastry as an almond sweet of Andalusian origin.

History

In a letter to the Sultan dated 16 July 1849, Abdelkader Achaach lists a consignment of sweets from Tetouan for the palace, including a box with four containers of kaab el ghazal and one of ghriba.

What it is made of

According to the Spaniard José Boada y Romeu, quoted by Akdi and Achboun, kaab el ghazal is made of almonds, sugar, mastic and flour. The writer Saad Sarhane calls its shape an arch and its heart almond paste.

How it is cooked

RecipeGazelle horns (kaab el ghazal)After the Moroccan TV chef ChoumichaRecipeGazelle horns with sesameAfter the Moroccan TV chef Choumicha

When

In Fez, kaab el ghazal is among the sweets sold in the streets during Ramadan. According to Saad Sarhane, the sweets of religious and family celebrations used to come down to ghriba and kaab el ghazal, and weddings made do with these two.

At a glance

Arabic
كعب غزال

Where it comes from

At home throughout the country, with no place of origin named by a source.

When you come across it

Ramadan · Wedding

Goes with it

Food and drinkGhribaA teacake made of semolina or flour, sugar and butter. It is one of the most widespread pastries in Morocco.Food and drinkChebakiaA pastry of firm dough, deep-fried and dipped in honey or syrup, also called griouch or m'kharqa depending on the area; the dough contains sesame, anise, cinnamon and orange blossom water. During Ramadan, in many regions of Morocco it is part of breaking the fast together with harira and dates.Food and drinkAtayGreen tea from China, usually of the gunpowder variety, prepared with fresh mint and sugar from a sugar loaf and poured from a height. It is regarded as a sign of Moroccan hospitality.

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Last checked on 27 Oct 2026. 6 sources, 1 of them primary (authority, UNESCO, operator).

  1. Hassan Akdi, Noureddine Achboun, Afro-Asian Journal of Scientific Research 1, Nr. 2 (2023): Tetouan Cuisine: Artisanal Diversity, and a Multi-Faceted Mediterranean Cultural Heritage (الغذاء التطواني). https://aajsr.com/index.php/aajsr/article/download/33/33/65. Checked on 29 Oct 2026.
  2. Hespress (Saad Sarhane, aus seinem Buch „Diwan al-Ma’ida“), 06.05.2020: "ديوان المائدة" ـ12ـ .. "كعب غزال" تاج الحلويات يغري المغربيات. https://www.hespress.com/ديوان-المائدة-ـ12ـ-كعب-غزال-تاج-الح-560567.html. Checked on 29 Oct 2026.
  3. OMPI (WIPO), Projekt mit dem marokkanischen Amt für gewerbliches Eigentum OMPIC; Verfasser Kamal Rahal Essoulami: Etude exploratoire sur le secteur du tourisme gastronomique au Maroc (2021). https://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/ip-development/fr/docs/scoping-study-morocco.pdf. Checked on 27 Oct 2026.
  4. Hassan Akdi, Noureddine Achboun, Afro-Asian Journal of Scientific Research 1, Nr. 2 (2023): Tetouan Cuisine: Artisanal Diversity, and a Multi-Faceted Mediterranean Cultural Heritage (الغذاء التطواني). https://aajsr.com/index.php/aajsr/article/download/33/33/65. Checked on 29 Oct 2026.
  5. Hassan Akdi, Noureddine Achboun, Afro-Asian Journal of Scientific Research 1, Nr. 2 (2023): Tetouan Cuisine: Artisanal Diversity, and a Multi-Faceted Mediterranean Cultural Heritage (الغذاء التطواني). https://aajsr.com/index.php/aajsr/article/download/33/33/65. Checked on 29 Oct 2026.
  6. Hassan Akdi, Noureddine Achboun, Afro-Asian Journal of Scientific Research 1, Nr. 2 (2023): Tetouan Cuisine: Artisanal Diversity, and a Multi-Faceted Mediterranean Cultural Heritage (الغذاء التطواني). https://aajsr.com/index.php/aajsr/article/download/33/33/65. Checked on 29 Oct 2026.
  7. Hespress (Saad Sarhane, aus seinem Buch „Diwan al-Ma’ida“), 06.05.2020: "ديوان المائدة" ـ12ـ .. "كعب غزال" تاج الحلويات يغري المغربيات. https://www.hespress.com/ديوان-المائدة-ـ12ـ-كعب-غزال-تاج-الح-560567.html. Checked on 29 Oct 2026.
  8. Hespress, 27.05.2017: الحلويات والفطائر تحول شوارع فاس إلى "سوق مفتوح" برمضان. https://www.hespress.com/الحلويات-والفطائر-تحول-شوارع-فاس-إلى-361008.html. Checked on 27 Oct 2026.
  9. Hespress (Saad Sarhane, aus seinem Buch „Diwan al-Ma’ida“), 06.05.2020: "ديوان المائدة" ـ12ـ .. "كعب غزال" تاج الحلويات يغري المغربيات. https://www.hespress.com/ديوان-المائدة-ـ12ـ-كعب-غزال-تاج-الح-560567.html. Checked on 29 Oct 2026.
  10. Hespress (Saad Sarhane, aus seinem Buch „Diwan al-Ma’ida“), 06.05.2020: "ديوان المائدة" ـ12ـ .. "كعب غزال" تاج الحلويات يغري المغربيات. https://www.hespress.com/ديوان-المائدة-ـ12ـ-كعب-غزال-تاج-الح-560567.html. Checked on 29 Oct 2026.
  11. Hespress, 27.05.2017: الحلويات والفطائر تحول شوارع فاس إلى "سوق مفتوح" برمضان. https://www.hespress.com/الحلويات-والفطائر-تحول-شوارع-فاس-إلى-361008.html. Checked on 27 Oct 2026.
  12. Hespress (Saad Sarhane, aus seinem Buch „Diwan al-Ma’ida“), 06.05.2020: "ديوان المائدة" ـ12ـ .. "كعب غزال" تاج الحلويات يغري المغربيات. https://www.hespress.com/ديوان-المائدة-ـ12ـ-كعب-غزال-تاج-الح-560567.html. Checked on 29 Oct 2026.