Meloui

Description and itinerary setting

Meloui takes its name from rolling: a semolina-rich dough is stretched, buttered or oiled, coiled and flattened so the cooked round can be unwound from its crisp edge toward a chewy center. It shares a breakfast table with msemen but deserves its own record because its circular coil, lamination and pull-apart eating are distinctive. Fine semolina supplies grainy aroma; tiny amounts of yeast and whole-wheat flour appear in some recipes. Serve it warm with honey and butter, jam or soft cheese, or sell it plain for the buyer to finish.

Ingredients and raw materials

Core

• fine semolina or durum flour
• wheat flour
• water
• salt
• oil

Optional or maker-specific

• butter
• tiny amount of yeast
• whole wheat flour
• sugar

How it is made

1. Knead a supple dough, divide into oiled balls and rest until they stretch without tearing.
2. Stretch thin, spread with fat and semolina, roll tightly and coil or slice into layered rounds.
3. Rest, flatten coil-side up and cook on a medium griddle, turning repeatedly until gold and cooked through.

Cultural accounts

Moroccan recipe documentation explains meloui through the Darija idea of rolling and through a technique that preserves visible coils. It is a bakery and home breakfast food, related to but technically distinct from square msemen.