Ghraiba

A shortbread called 'exotic cookie' (khushkānānaj gharīb) appears in the 10th-century Arab culinary compendium Kitab al-Tabikh, and an identical preparation made from equal parts butter, sugar, and flour is documented in the 14th-century Egyptian text Wasf al-at'ima al-mu'tada. The Ottoman kurabiye of the 15th century belongs to the same lineage. Tunisia developed three flour-defined types — bidha (wheat, white and delicate), droô (sorghum, earthier and darker), and homs (chickpea, nutty) — each preserving a distinct regional grain tradition. Families bake in large batches at the communal neighbourhood oven before Eid al-Fitr; the finished cookies keep for up to two weeks without losing their texture.

Dissolves on the palate with almost no chewing required; the chickpea version is nuttier and slightly golden, sorghum adds a faint earthiness, and the wheat version is the mildest and most delicate. All three are subtly sweet with a short, clean finish perfect alongside tea.

Chickpea and sorghum flours contain little or no gluten. Combined with a high proportion of clarified butter or olive oil, the fat coats each starch granule and physically prevents any gluten network from forming; even the wheat version is rendered gluten-poor by the high fat ratio. Slow baking at 150°C without preheating evaporates moisture gradually with minimal Maillard reaction, keeping cookies pale and uniformly friable. The hand-striking technique — slapping the dough between palms during kneading — compresses fat-coated particles evenly so the cookie holds shape in the oven, then shatters the moment it meets the palate.