Briouats are small Moroccan pastries which are stuffed with a variety of fillings and then fried. They're a very popular offering on Moroccan iftar tables, and many families stock their freezers with several varieties prior to the start of Ramadan.
Although some briouats can be time-consuming to make, Cheese Briouats with a simple cream cheese filling are quick and easy in comparison. Minced chili peppers, herbs and spices can be added to the filling for variety.
Photo © Christine Benlafquih
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Comments
Salaam Aleikum!
Muslim family friends invited us to Iftaar dinner on Sunday night. Amina served us delicious Moroccan deliciousness! Chekabia, sellou, rice with raisins and apricots, many kinds of briouats, soup, etc. I feel like I was transported to Morocco! I’m glad to find your site; I will be putting your recipes to practice!
Hey! To start with, I love your recipes. I’ve made quite a few of them so far! I made these cheese briouats to impress my Moroccan husband and give him a taste of home for Ramadan, but he (and the rest of his friends) tell me they sound good, but they’re not Moroccan. Where are they from? Is it a regional thing?
I occasionally get similar feedback from women who say their husbands insist something is “not Moroccan.” They simply may not have been exposed to certain dishes in their families or regions, and it’s true that some fillings for briouats and bastillas may be regarded as modern. As for the cheese briouats specifically, they were taught to me by a Moroccan in Morocco, and I’ve been served them in various forms with different cheeses in Moroccan homes. If you search “briouats au fromage” you’ll see a number of other variations. Paula Wolfert’s The Food of Morocco, for example, includes a goat cheese, honey and egg briouat recipe.