P assover P alate
Sephardi Holiday Mimouna a Most Delicious
Way to Celebrate the End of Passover
SONYA SANFORD | JTA VIA THE NOSHER
YOU MAY ALREADY be
familiar with Mimouna, a
Sephardi holiday that origi-
nated in Morocco and marks
the end of Passover. On the
night following the last day
of Passover, the end of eight
chametz-free days is celebrated
with a feast of treats.

In Morocco, neighbors
travel to each other’s houses
— it is customary to leave all
doors open to welcome any
possible guests. Tables are
laden with symbols to ensure
a good year: blossoming spring
flowers, fish for abundance
and fertility, and dates sweet-
ened with honey to inspire an
equally sweet life. The next
day, festivities continue with
barbecues, picnics and large
gatherings. One of the most common
dishes prepared for Mimouna
is the crepe-like mufleta (or
moufleta). You might also find
nougat, fazuelos (a fried thin
pastry), couscous-au-lait (sweet
couscous with milk), almond
cookies, marzipan, stuffed dates
and a variety of other sweet and
savory baked goods.

Mimouna’s popularity
has expanded in recent years
beyond North Africa and is
even widely celebrated in Israel.

Two of my favorite dishes
for this holiday are the crepe-
like mufleta and sweet stuffed
dates. My stuffed dates are
a slight deviation from the
norm. Instead of marzipan,
these dates are stuffed with a
combination of pistachio and
almond. They are sweetened
only slightly with honey, and
then drizzled with tahini, and
a generous pinch of flaky salt.

They are a delicious celebra-
tory treat, but they also make a
delightful snack any time.

I hope this year brings you
Mufleta is a dish that’s commonly served for the Sephardi holiday of Mimouna. 
your own Mimouna parties, won’t properly activate. Allow
or a chance to throw your own the yeast to get foamy and bub-
bly, about 5 minutes.

with these delicious treats.

Combine the flour and salt.

Here are the two recipes:
Make a well in the flour, and
MUFLETA then add the water and yeast
mixture. Using your hands,
1½ cups warm water
1 packet (2¼ teaspoons)
active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour,
plus more if needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Oil as needed (sunflower,
canola or a neutral tasting
oil) Combine the yeast and
sugar with the warm water;
make sure the water is not too
hot or too cold, or your yeast
but it shouldn’t stick to your
hands. If you find your dough
is too sticky, add a little more
flour as needed.

Once the dough is formed
into a ball, knead the dough
until smooth and elastic, about
Photo by Sonya Sanford
their dough into balls before
letting it rise, and some prefer
to do it after.

Generously drizzle a baking
sheet or Pyrex with more oil.

Pull off golf ball-sized rounds
of dough and form them into
Mimouna’s popularity has expanded in recent years beyond North Africa
and is even widely celebrated in Israel.

incorporate the water into
the flour. The amount of flour
you need can depend on the
brand of the flour as well as the
humidity/temperature in your
kitchen. You want the dough to
be slightly tacky to the touch,
5 minutes.

Lightly grease the bowl with
oil, and then place the dough
into the bowl. Cover the bowl
with a damp, clean dish towel
and allow the dough to rise for
40 minutes. Some folks form
balls. Roll them in the oil and
then let them rest for about 5
minutes. Form one round of dough
into a paper-thin circle, about
10 inches in diameter. You
want each layer to be as thin as
See Mimouna, Page 12
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