The Sahara region of Morocco is home to many ancient culinary traditions that allowed the Berbers – a nomadic people – to survive in the harsh climate. The quality of the dishes does not depend on complex machinery but on human hands.
Madfouna is a hand-kneaded loaf of bread with a few key ingredients. Traditionally baked in a fire pit under the sand or in a mud oven, it has long been a staple food for many nomadic families living on the margins of the Erg Chebbi dunes near the Algerian border. When baked, the resulting product resembles pizza so much that locals often refer to it by its alternative name, Berber Pizza.
Using the ancient Saharan bread recipe of flour, yeast, salt, olive oil and water, the dough is kneaded until elastic, then rolled before being spread into shape. The filling is typically made with beef, eggs, nuts, onions, garlic, spices such as cumin, paprika, turmeric, ginger and parsley.
With the terrain of the Sahara limiting food, it is important to prepare it simply and easily. And with no ovens available, nomads use more rustic methods to bake bread, such as fire. Nomads dig a hole in the sand, then light a small fire to heat a stone. The Madfouna dough is placed directly on the hot stone and covered with a tin can.
The cake is blackened on the side that came in contact with the fire and the stone. Before eating, the burnt layer is brushed off with a cloth and scraped off with a knife. Finally, the Madfouna is cut into pieces to share. Although it originated from ancient nomadic cooking techniques, not all families bake their cakes in fire pits. In small towns scattered across the Sahara, many still use mud ovens. Their homes usually have a well-ventilated room where food is prepared using this method.
Each family has its own version of Madfouna, based on the ingredients used to stuff it. Some families use eggs, tomatoes, sunflower seeds. Others add almonds, cashews, olives, lamb, chicken. The combinations are rich and varied.
Regardless of the version of the cake, the most standard method of baking Madfouna is still using a sand oven or a mud oven. Because then the cake is imbued with a natural smoky smell that no modern oven can do.
Today, Madfouna can be found in fast food joints in Rissani, a Saharan town adjacent to the ruins of Sijilmasa. These small alcove eateries, which resemble takeaways, often serve Madfouna in cardboard boxes similar to pizza. It’s the perfect pre-trip snack before a journey through the Moroccan Sahara.
Ngoc Anh (According to BBC Travel)
