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Food and drink

M’hancha

A pastry of warqa rolled into a spiral around an almond paste filling, “snake cake” in translation. It is one of the most widespread pastries in Morocco.

What it is

M’hancha means snake cake: a Moroccan pastry that coils into a spiral. Paper-thin warqa pastry wraps an almond paste, often flavoured with sugar, cinnamon, mastic, butter and orange blossom water; the pastry is baked golden and finally dusted with icing sugar or brushed with warm honey.

The study for WIPO and OMPIC counts m’hancha, with gazelle horns and ghriba, among the most widespread and popular Moroccan pastries.

Where it comes from

Hassan Akdi and Noureddine Achboun list m’hancha in their survey of the sweets of Tetouan as an almond pastry of Andalusian origin.

History

A document dated 15 Muharram 1307 of the Islamic calendar names sfenj, fekkas, krachel and m’hancha among the sweets of Tetouan.

How it is cooked

RecipeM’hancha with almondsAfter the Moroccan TV chef Choumicha · serves 4

When

It usually comes as small coils; a large, winding version is served for special occasions and gatherings.

At a glance

Arabic
المحنشة

Where it comes from

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

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 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.

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Last checked on 30 Oct 2026. 4 sources, 1 of them primary (authority, UNESCO, operator).

  1. Majda Bouzaroita, Morocco World News: Sweet Dreams of Morocco: Discovering the Country’s Irresistible Pastries (07.08.2024). https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2024/08/16172/sweet-dreams-of-morocco-discovering-the-countrys-irresistible-pastries/. Checked on 30 Oct 2026.
  2. Majda Bouzaroita, Morocco World News: Sweet Dreams of Morocco: Discovering the Country’s Irresistible Pastries (07.08.2024). https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2024/08/16172/sweet-dreams-of-morocco-discovering-the-countrys-irresistible-pastries/. Checked on 30 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 30 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 30 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 30 Oct 2026.
  6. Majda Bouzaroita, Morocco World News: Sweet Dreams of Morocco: Discovering the Country’s Irresistible Pastries (07.08.2024). https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2024/08/16172/sweet-dreams-of-morocco-discovering-the-countrys-irresistible-pastries/. Checked on 30 Oct 2026.
  7. 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 30 Oct 2026.