Across Africa, South America, and the East there are variations of a basic flour water mix used to make ‘bread’ in a dry pan to be eaten with traditional stews.
In Ethiopia injera is the flatbread made from teff (a fine grain that varies in color from white to dark brown) and flour and left to ferment until a yeast forms after around 4 days.
Injera becomes both a plate on which the stew is placed or can be served alongside the typically spicy chicken stew that is the national dish of Ethiopians. Lebanese Mountain bread, although a flat bread also uses yeast to get a more doughy texture.
Moroccan Flatbread is Slightly Different
Moroccan flatbread is probably closest to the Indian chapatti, which is also made without yeast or fermentation, however, the Moroccan flatbread is slightly different in that there are some spices added.
As you cook your Moroccan flatbreads in a dry pan – no oil added – your kitchen will smell delightful as the aromas of the cinnamon, cumin, and coriander are released.
History of Moroccan Flatbread
Flatbreads are some of the earliest known foods with traces being found that date back to ancient times in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
There have also been traces found in Jordan that date back to around 4000 years before the start of agriculture…how cool is that?
A common flatbread found in Morocco is M’semen and it’s typically served with either tea or coffee, with honey, or stuffed with meat, and/or onions and tomatoes.
Nutritional Info
Moroccan flatbread is insanely healthy. The nutritional info is as follows:
| Calories | 172.1 kCal |
| Carbs | 36.4 g |
| Net carbs | 35 g |
| Fiber | 1.4 g |
| Sugar | 1.5 g |
| Protein | 5.5. g |
| Fat | 0.6 g |
| Sodium | 100mg |
It lasts longer, smells better, is easily digestible, and very filling.
Moroccan Flatbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon dried cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander cilantro powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
Instructions
- Mix the dried spices with the flour in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the center and add the water a little at a time incorporating the flour, until you have a dough ball. I find that one and a third cups of water is usually sufficient.
- Using floured hands knead the dough on a floured bread board until it is smooth and elastic – this should take about 5 minutes.
- Return to the bowl to rest for about half an hour and cover the bowl with a clean cloth.
- Divide the dough ball into around 6 pieces, pinching off lumps of dough with the fingers.
- Roll each piece into a ball then roll out into a circle on a floured board.
- Heat a skillet and fry one at a time for around 1 minute each side on a hot stove, turning once they start to puff up.
Serve the Moroccan flatbreads warm with lamb tagine, or any hearty stew, tearing off pieces to soak up all those last delicious bits of the gravy.
They can also be used to serve with eggs at breakfast time, mince, or can even serve as a wrap with chicken and various salad ingredients at lunchtime.
Variations
Chickpea Moroccan Flatbread
This Moroccan flatbread recipe adds chickpeas and can be adapted to whatever you feel like. Switch up the spices and add other veggies as you like for something different.
Rghaif (Sweet Chili Cheese Moroccan Flatbread)
Moroccan flatbread with a filling of Mozzarella cheese and topped with sweet chili jam…my mouth is watering. Try this recipe for yourselves and see how you like it.
M’semen (Moroccan Square Flatbread)
This one is pretty basic, but the recipe gives you a nice breakfast or snack. Try it yourself, here’s the recipe for you.
Harcha
Harcha makes me crave crumpets, it has a cornbread-like texture to it and can be enjoyed anytime you feel like it. Don’t take my word for it, though, here’s the recipe. Try it yourself.
Moroccan Flatbread as a Dessert
I must admit, when preparing the ones for today’s recipe I rolled one up like a pancake after spreading it with butter, some flaked almonds, and honey!
It was delicious, warm, and aromatic – those spices made all the difference.
You can also use Nutella, and jam (i.e. apricot jam) as fillings to make a sort of dessert or sweet treat.
As a child I wanted to grow up and marry a farmer… simply because it was so different from my life right on the shores of the ocean. Well, I didn’t marry a farmer but a surfer instead. The urge, however, to grow stuff and make great food for a big family never left. We are on acreage with a sea view and easy access to fresh caught crayfish and other seafood – the best of both worlds. As an artist and writer I enjoy creating new recipes, tweaking traditional ones, and sharing the results not only with family and friends, but online. Mee the rest of the team at this page.