Mofletta

This article is about the crêpe served after the holiday of Passover by Moroccan Jews. For the bread in Sicilian and New Orleans cuisine, see muffuletta.
Not to be confused with Molfetta or Muffuletta.
Mofletta
TypeCrêpe
Place of originMaghreb
Serving temperatureWarm
Main ingredientsWater, flour, oil

Mofletta (Hebrew: מופלטה, also Mufleta, Mofleta, Moufleta etc.) is a Maghrebi Jewish pancake traditionally eaten during the Mimouna celebration, the day after Passover.[1]

Mofletta is a thin crêpe made from water, flour and oil. The dough is rolled out thinly and cooked in a greased frying pan until it is yellow-brown in color. It is usually eaten warm, spread with butter, honey, syrup, jam, walnut, pistachios or dried fruits.[1][2]

The Mimouna holiday, brought to Israel by the Jewish communities of Maghreb, notably Jews in Morocco, is celebrated immediately after Passover. In the evening, a feast of fruit, confectionery and pastries is set out for neighbors and visitors, and mofletta is one of the dishes traditionally served. [2]

History

According to Hélène Jawhara Piñer, the earliest known version of mofletta appears in the Kitāb al-ṭabīẖ, a cookbook composed in Medieval Spain during the 12th or 13th centuries CE. This cookbook includes a sweet dish called murakkaba, which involves cooking pancakes on one side only, stacking them into a small tower, and then drizzling the stack with melted butter and honey. This method of preparation is unique within the cookbook and is not reflected in any other recipe included.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Mufleta Recipe". Elimelech David Ha-Levi Web. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  2. ^ a b Roden, Claudia, The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York, New York, Knopf (1997) ISBN 0-394-53258-9, pg. 554
  3. ^ Piñer, Hélène Jawhara (2022). "Part One: The Jews' Place in the Construction". Jews, Food, and Spain: the oldest medieval Spanish cookbook and the Sephardic culinary heritage. Boston: Academic Studies Press. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-1-64469-919-5.