Boulfaf

Boulfaf is the dish of Eid al-Adha in Morocco, and specifically of Eid morning: after the sacrificial sheep is slaughtered, the liver is the first organ to be eaten, and boulfaf is how it is eaten. Cubes of fresh lamb liver are wrapped in pieces of the caul fat (the lacy membrane that surrounds the animal's internal organs), threaded onto skewers, and grilled over charcoal. The caul fat renders in the heat, basting the liver in its own fat, and crisps into a golden lattice around each cube. The skewers are dusted heavily with cumin and salt and eaten immediately, standing, in the street or the courtyard. It is the food of the first hours of Eid across Morocco, but it is most strongly associated with Marrakech, where the Jemaa el-Fnaa square fills with boulfaf vendors on the feast day.

The caul fat crisps to a golden shell around each cube of liver, which stays pink and faintly sweet inside; the cumin is heavy, the salt is heavy, and the smoke from the charcoal carries everything. Eat it in one bite, off the skewer, while the fat is still sizzling.

The caul fat is the whole technique and the reason this dish exists in this form. Caul fat is a natural, lacy membrane that melts at grill temperature, releasing its fat directly onto the liver it wraps — an internal basting that keeps the lean liver moist while the fat itself crisps. Without caul fat, cubed liver on a skewer dries out in minutes; with it, the liver stays pink and juicy inside a savory shell. The high heat of charcoal is essential: the fat needs to render fast and the surface needs to char, both of which happen in the 3-4 minutes over coals. The cumin, applied generously after grilling, is fat-soluble and binds to the rendered fat on the surface.