{"id":8420,"date":"2026-10-19T23:31:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8420"},"modified":"2026-10-31T19:10:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T10:10:10","slug":"makroud","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/makroud\/","title":{"rendered":"Makroud"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A brown date filling is packed inside a semolina casing. Makroud, which is cut into diamonds, cooked and soaked in syrup, is a specialty of Kairouan in Tunisia and a sweet that has also taken root in Algeria. The grainy casing and the fruit filling are made separately, wrapped together into a single log and then cut into pieces. The sweets called makroud vary in whether they are fried or baked, and in whether the filling is wrapped in semolina or the nuts themselves are made into the dough.<\/p>\n

\n\"Date-filled\n
Date-filled makroud for sale in the medina of Tunis (September 29, 2008). Pieces with a glossy surface are stacked on top of one another. Photo: Credits to Mourad Ben Abdallah \/ Wikimedia Commons \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ Public domain<\/a>. Full-size image obtained. We have not altered or cropped the content.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

A name meaning \u201csomething cut\u201d and a medieval sweet<\/h2>\n

French uses the spellings makroud<\/em> and makrout<\/em>, which derive from the Arabic \u0645\u0642\u0631\u0648\u0636. The root \u0642 \u0631 \u0636 carries the meaning \u201cto cut,\u201d and maqr\u016b\u1e0d<\/em> is the word form for \u201csomething that has been cut.\u201d The entry for \u0642\u0631\u0636 in the classical dictionary Lisan al-Arab also lists senses meaning \u201cto cut.\u201d The sweet\u2019s name is sometimes explained as meaning \u201cdiamond.\u201d This explanation comes from the fact that cutting a log of dough diagonally produces diamond shapes, but what the root expresses is the action of cutting rather than the shape.<\/p>\n

The Usito dictionary of the Universit\u00e9 de Sherbrooke cites a French usage from 1852 that refers to the Maghreb. Much earlier, the name maqrud<\/em> already appeared in the 13th-century cookbook of Ibn Razin al-Tujibi.<\/p>\n

In the medieval makroud recreated by the culinary historian Daniel Newman, semolina dough is filled with sugar and almonds, or with dates, then fried in oil and sprinkled with sugar. Wrapping a filling and then cutting the log is similar, but the finish differs from today\u2019s method of soaking the pieces in syrup. Some theories trace its origins not only to Kairouan but also to southeastern Algeria and the M\u2019zab, and the sweet cannot be pinned to a single place of origin.<\/p>\n

\n\"Wrapping\n
Shaping makroud (January 23, 2023). Dark filling is placed on a long strip of dough, and the wrapped log is patterned with a wooden tool and cut into pieces. Photo: Meriem Mach \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. We have not altered or cropped the content.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

From the order of adding fat and water to shaping and cooking<\/h2>\n

In one recette (recipe: the proportions of ingredients and the method) for the date-filled version, medium-grain semolina is mixed with a small amount of wheat flour and clarified butter and left to stand for 2 hours or more. Warm water and orange blossom water are then worked in with the fingertips, and the dough is brought together without heavy kneading. The fat is worked into the grains first, and only then is the water needed for shaping added.<\/p>\n

The date filling is kneaded separately and combined with cinnamon, cloves, clarified butter and blossom water. A groove is made along the log of dough, the filling is rolled into a long strip, laid in the groove and enclosed, and the log is evened out in thickness before being cut on the diagonal. A pattern from a wooden mold is sometimes pressed onto the surface. Because the fruit filling is wrapped in a thick casing, the thickness of the dough and of the filling, set before cutting, determines the ratio between the two in the cross-section.<\/p>\n

When the pieces are fried, the surface takes on color in the oil. When they are baked in the oven, they are placed close together so that the dates showing at the cut edges do not burn. In some methods, the cooled pieces are dipped on both sides into a mixture of honey, blossom water and lemon, rested once, and then dipped again. Soaking in syrup gives the surface a sheen and adds sweetness and moisture to the dry casing.<\/p>\n

\n\"Kairouan\n
Makroud photographed as a specialty of Kairouan, Tunisia (May 11, 2019). The filling inside can be seen at the cut edge of the thick dough. Photo: Zeinebtakouti \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. We have not altered or cropped the content.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Makroud made by the chef of the Tunisian Embassy<\/h2>\n

In the method demonstrated by Bahadur Chetri, chef at the Tunisian Embassy, wheat flour is mixed into the semolina, combined with olive oil, a little butter, salt and hot water, and the dough is left to rest. Cinnamon, sesame seeds and olive oil are worked into the date filling. The filling is wrapped inside a groove in a log of dough, which is flattened, cut into diamonds, fried, soaked in syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds.<\/p>\n

What distinguishes this cook\u2019s version is the use of wheat flour as well as semolina, and of sesame both inside the filling and as a finish. Even when the basic structure of frying and then soaking in syrup is shared, the combination of flours and the aromas of the filling differ from cook to cook.<\/p>\n

Different ingredients and methods in Kairouan and Algeria<\/h2>\n

Makroud from Kairouan is made with semolina, olive oil, honey and dates from the southern oases. It pairs a semolina casing with fruit that keeps well.<\/p>\n

Makroud el koucha, handed down in Constantine and elsewhere in eastern Algeria, is baked in the oven. Besides dates, figs and almonds are also used as fillings. Makrout el louz, by contrast, is structured differently from a semolina sweet with an almond filling.<\/p>\n

In the el louz published by Mercotte, the dough is made from almond flour, sugar, eggs and citrus zest; it is cut into diamonds, baked lightly, and coated white with sugar syrup and powdered sugar. There is no flour casing surrounding a filling; the almond dough itself is shaped and baked.<\/p>\n

In the medina of Kairouan, pastry shops can be seen weighing out the sweets and selling them by weight. A 2019 purchase record from the local travel company TRAVELSUN notes that the figures displayed at the shop showed the price per 1 kg, and describes buying a box filled to the brim with makroud. The box was decorated with the minaret of the town\u2019s Great Mosque. The small diamond-shaped sweets are not only for festive family tables; they are also carried home in boxes decorated with the town\u2019s landmarks.<\/p>\n

A family method of sandwiching the filling between dough, and the table after a fast<\/h2>\n

In the makroud made by L\u00e9a Karsenty\u2019s grandmother, the semolina is first toasted dry. A filling of dates and hazelnuts is sandwiched between two sheets of rolled-out dough, one above and one below, then cut into diamonds, fried, and dipped in a syrup of honey and orange blossom water.<\/p>\n

In this household, makroud was served at the table when the Yom Kippur fast in Judaism was broken. Unlike the method of enclosing the filling in a groove along a log, the filling containing nuts is spread in a single layer between an upper and a lower sheet of casing. It shares the syrup-soaked diamond shape, but this household has passed down its own procedure and the custom of serving it at the end of the fast.<\/p>\n

Maltese imqaret, wrapped in thin wheat-flour pastry<\/h2>\n

Malta\u2019s imqaret<\/a> also wraps dates and is cut diagonally and fried. In the method passed down in Australia by a family from Malta, a thin pastry is made with wheat flour, a little margarine, water and blossom water. The dates are cooked with citrus peel, cinnamon, anise-type spices and other flavorings, cooled, and then rolled up in pastry rolled out to about 2 mm.<\/p>\n

Imqaret fried to a golden color can be eaten warm or cooled. Whereas the makroud casing is thick and contains grains of semolina, the imqaret casing is a thin dough made from wheat flour. The cross-sections may look similar, but the casings that wrap the date filling are different.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

TRAVELSUN<\/strong>: A local travel company in Tunisia. This article draws on its 2019 record of a purchase in Kairouan.<\/p>

Minaret<\/strong>: A tower attached to a mosque. The sweet box in the purchase record was decorated with the tower of Kairouan\u2019s Great Mosque.<\/p>

Semolina<\/strong>: A coarsely ground meal of durum wheat or similar grain. It is the material for the grainy casing.<\/p>

Dates<\/strong>: The fruit of the date palm. The flesh is kneaded and used as the filling.<\/p>

Clarified butter<\/strong>: A fat made by removing the water and milk solids from butter.<\/p>

Kairouan<\/strong>: A historic city in inland Tunisia. Makroud is one of its specialties.<\/p>

Makroud el koucha<\/strong>: An oven-baked makroud handed down in eastern Algeria, including Constantine.<\/p>

Makrout el louz<\/strong>: A diamond-shaped sweet made mainly from almonds and finished white with powdered sugar.<\/p>

Lisan al-Arab<\/strong>: A classical Arabic dictionary by Ibn Manzur. It records the sense of cutting under the root \u0642\u0631\u0636.<\/p>

Mercotte<\/strong>: A French pastry maker who has personally made Algerian makrout el louz and published the process.<\/p>

Imqaret<\/strong>: A Maltese sweet in which dates are wrapped in thin dough, cut diagonally and fried.<\/p>

Yom Kippur<\/strong>: The Day of Atonement in Judaism. There is a record of a household serving this sweet at the table after the fast.<\/p>

Ibn Razin al-Tujibi \/ Daniel Newman<\/strong>: The former is the author of a 13th-century cookbook; the latter is a researcher who works on translating it and recreating medieval dishes.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. \n

    Asif, \u201cMakroud with Dates and Semolina\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The proportions and full process of L\u00e9a Karsenty\u2019s grandmother, and its use when breaking the Yom Kippur fast. Limited to one household\u2019s recette.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  2. \n

    Discover Tunisia: Kairouan<\/a> \u2014 Czech-language version of government tourism material. Kairouan\u2019s specialty, the diamond shape, and semolina, oil, honey and dates.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  3. \n

    Vera Abitbol: Makroud<\/a> \u2014 The author\u2019s own recette and the verification credit by the cook Assia Benabbes were checked. The step of letting the fat be absorbed; wrapping, cutting, baking\/frying and syrup. The descriptions of regional forms are used; assertions of a single origin or of a 9th-century spread are not adopted.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  4. \n

    Eat Like a Sultan: Maqrud<\/a> \u2014 The cookbook researcher\u2019s own recreation of the 13th-century recette, with reference to p. 79 of the 2012 edition of the original text. We read the recreation and commentary; this is not a record of reading the original manuscript directly.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  5. \n

    Mercotte: Makrout el Louz (September 5, 2018)<\/a> \u2014 The author\u2019s own record of making the sweet based on Sh\u00e9h\u00e9razade\u2019s cookbook. A dough of almonds, sugar and eggs; a powdered-sugar finish. The structural difference from the date-filled version.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  6. \n

    MaltaToday \/ Nanette Johnson and Marija Cilia: Guza\u2019s Imqaret (2011)<\/a> \u2014 The complete recette provided by the maker herself. Thin wheat-flour pastry, dates with citrus and spices, rolling, diagonal cutting and frying. Not a source indicating a year of direct transmission from makroud.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  7. \n

    Universit\u00e9 de Sherbrooke \/ Usito, \u201cmakrout ou makroud\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Borrowing from Arabic; a French usage from 1852 referring to the Maghreb; variant spellings.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  8. \n

    Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-Arab, entry \u0642\u0631\u0636 (text published on Islamweb)<\/a> \u2014 The sense of cutting in the root. Not a source indicating where the sweet was invented or when it was named.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  9. \n

    TRAVELSUN, \u201cCheap, Tasty and Fast: Makroud\u201d (in Japanese)<\/a> \u2014 February 25, 2019, updated March 7 of the same year. Actually read as the author\u2019s own record of sale by weight in the Kairouan medina and of the design on the box. The old prices are not used as current travel information.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  10. \n

    National Geographic (Japanese edition): Tunisian Embassy<\/a> \u2014 Added as an individual example from the embassy, for the blending of wheat flour and the use of sesame. No reproduction of numerical proportions, no current prices, and no extension to a uniform standard method.<\/p>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Makroud is a North African sweet in which a semolina dough is wrapped around a filling such as dates and cut into diamonds. The surface is golden, and when broken open, the brown fruit filling shows in the center. Some are fried and some are baked, and the finishing syrup soaks into the grainy dough. It has taken root in Kairouan, Tunisia, as well as in many parts of Algeria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7422,"menu_order":191,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Makroud","subtitle":"The sweetness of dates wrapped in semolina diamonds","topics":"Coarse grains and smooth fruit \/ Cutting diamonds from a log \/ Fillings and cooking methods that change from place to place","country":"Tunisia, Algeria and elsewhere","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["fruit","grain"],"texture":["crumbly","smooth"],"occasion":["celebration"],"method":["baked","fried"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[169],"class_list":["post-8420","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t