Mufletta

A Moroccan-Jewish dish brought to Israel in the 1948–56 immigration waves, eaten only on Mimouna — the night after Passover ends, when leavened bread returns to the home. Mimouna originated in 18th-century Fez among the Jewish mellah, marking the end of the chametz prohibition with an open-house feast where neighbors (Jewish and Muslim) walked between homes tasting sweets.

Moroccan-Jewish, eaten only on Mimouna — the night Passover ends and leavened bread returns. Mimouna started in 18th-century Fez among the Jewish mellah, with neighbors (Jewish and Muslim) walking between homes tasting sweets.

Stack of paper-thin pancakes, each one warm, slightly elastic, eaten by smearing butter and honey across the top sheet, rolling it, and biting. A simple leavened dough — flour, water, salt, oil, yeast and a pinch of sugar — pulled and oiled between layers so they peel apart cleanly. As a yeasted bread it is often the first chametz (leaven) eaten when Passover ends, eaten in rapid succession at the Mimouna feast; one host might serve forty in an evening.

The trick is oil management between layers. Resting each ball in oil relaxes the gluten so it can be pulled paper-thin without tearing. The cook slaps each pulled disc onto a hot dry pan for about fifteen seconds until it spots and browns (Maillard), then stacks it on the previous one with oil brushed between — residual heat and steam from the new disc partially cook the one below, which is why the bottom of the stack stays soft for an hour. Stack too thick or skip the oil and they fuse into a single sheet.