Moroccan Arabic: رغايف
Rghaif is a term which describes a type of Moroccan dough and the pan-fried (and less frequently deep-fried) pastries or "pancakes" which are shaped from the dough. Although the dough may be stuffed with a variety of fillings before it's folded and cooked, plain rghaif are immensely popular, served as-is or with syrup made from butter and honey.
Rghaif dough may be left unleavened, but many Moroccan cooks add a tiny amount of yeast to help with elasticity and final cooked texture. Preferences for white, semolina, wheat and other flours vary from household to household and also according to the intended folding technique.
Rghaif can be found as a street food in Morocco; it's also available at some bakeries. The best rghaif, however, is usually found in the home, where it's served for breakfast, tea time or to break the fast during Ramadan.
Types of Rghaif
Depending on the technique used to fold the dough before cooking, rghaif is called by other names:
- Msemen - Flattened square-shaped
- Meloui ("rolled") - Round, flattened coil-shaped
- Oudnine el Kadi ("the judge's ears") - flattened or rosette-shaped
- Rziza (R'zatte) el Kadi ("the judge's turban") - flattened, coil-shaped from spaghetti-thin strands of dough
- Mekhtamrine - flattened, unfolded rounds made from leavened dough
- Metlouh (Matlou') - thicker rounds made from leavened dough; may be left to rise before cooking to yield pita-like bread (batbout)
