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Food and drink

Ghriba

A teacake made of semolina or flour, sugar and butter. It is one of the most widespread pastries in Morocco.

What it is

Harrell’s dictionary of Moroccan Arabic describes ghriba as a teacake made of semolina or flour, sugar and butter. The study for WIPO and OMPIC counts it, with kaab el ghazal 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 ghriba as a pastry of fine flour and of Andalusian origin. Citing the historian Ahmed Rhouni, they name baklava and ghriba among the sweets made in Tetouan.

History

According to Akdi and Achboun, the Sultan repeatedly ordered sweets from Tetouan for the palace; in a letter dated 16 July 1849, Abdelkader Achaach lists one such consignment, including a box of ghriba beside kaab el ghazal.

How it is cooked

RecipeGhriba with almondsAfter the Moroccan TV chef ChoumichaRecipeGhriba bahla with smenAfter the Moroccan TV chef Choumicha · serves 6

When

In Oujda, ghribiya is one of the pastries used to break the fast during Ramadan, beside makrout, zlabia and zammita.

According to the writer 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
غريبة

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 drinkGazelle hornsAn arch-shaped pastry filled with almond paste, in Arabic kaab el ghazal. It is one of the most widespread pastries in Morocco.Food and drinkSellouA mixture of toasted flour, almonds, sesame and honey, also called sfouf or zemmita. It is one of the most important sweets of Ramadan, for example when breaking the fast in Fez and Meknes.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. 8 sources, 1 of them primary (authority, UNESCO, operator).

  1. Richard S. Harrell (Hg.), Thomas Fox, Mohammed Abu-Talib, Georgetown University Press: A Dictionary of Moroccan Arabic: Moroccan-English (Volltext im Internet Archive). https://archive.org/details/RichardS.HarrellThomasFoxMohammedAbuTalibADictionaryOfMoroccanArabic. Checked on 27 Oct 2026.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 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 27 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 27 Oct 2026.
  6. Hespress FR: Par région, voici les traditions culinaires marocaines du ramadan (16.04.2021). https://fr.hespress.com/198966-par-region-voici-les-traditions-culinaires-marocaines-du-ramadan.html. Checked on 27 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 27 Oct 2026.
  8. 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 27 Oct 2026.
  9. Hespress FR: Par région, voici les traditions culinaires marocaines du ramadan (16.04.2021). https://fr.hespress.com/198966-par-region-voici-les-traditions-culinaires-marocaines-du-ramadan.html. Checked on 27 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 27 Oct 2026.