Heritage & regions
Jewish-Moroccan Food Traditions
For centuries, Morocco's Jewish community — one of the largest in the Arab world — developed a distinctive food tradition that was both fully Moroccan and adapted to Jewish dietary law. Dafina, the Shabbat slow-cooked stew, is its centrepiece, but the tradition extends to fish preparations, unique spice combinations and holiday foods that are now recognised as an essential part of Morocco's culinary heritage.
Dafina: the Shabbat pot
Dafina (also called skhina) is the Jewish-Moroccan Shabbat stew — assembled on Friday afternoon and slow-cooked overnight, since cooking is prohibited on Shabbat. The pot contains layered elements: meat (usually beef), chickpeas, potatoes, whole eggs in their shells (which cook to a creamy brown), wheat berries, dates and spices. Everything melts together over the long, low cooking into a deeply rich, unified dish.
Dafina is the direct ancestor of Sephardic hamin and Ashkenazi cholent — long-cooked Sabbath stews found across the Jewish world. The Moroccan version is distinguished by its spices (cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper), its inclusion of dates and honey for sweetness, and the eggs that emerge with a golden-brown colour and creamy texture after hours of cooking.
Fish, sweets and spice
Fish holds a special place in Jewish-Moroccan cooking — it is pareve (neither meat nor dairy) under kosher law, making it versatile. Fish tagines and baked fish with chermoula are central preparations. Fish with chickpeas, fish with tomato and peppers, and fried fish with cumin are all Jewish-Moroccan classics.
Sweet-savoury combinations are more pronounced in Jewish-Moroccan cooking than in Muslim-Moroccan — more sugar, more dried fruit, more honey in savoury dishes. The spicing tends to be sweeter and warmer. Pastries for holidays — particularly for Mimouna (the post-Passover celebration) — include moufleta (thin, buttered pancakes), makroud (semolina-date pastries) and elaborate nut-and-honey confections.
A shared and distinct heritage
Jewish and Muslim Moroccan food share the same base: the same spices, the same cooking methods, the same market ingredients. The differences are in the details — kosher dietary separations (no mixing of meat and dairy, no pork), the Shabbat slow-cook tradition, certain holiday-specific preparations, and a tendency toward sweeter spicing.
With the emigration of most of Morocco's Jewish community in the mid-twentieth century, these traditions have been carried to Israel, France, Canada and elsewhere, where they continue. In Morocco itself, awareness and appreciation of Jewish-Moroccan food traditions is growing, and restaurants and cultural initiatives are working to preserve and honour a strand of the cuisine that is historically inseparable from the wider Moroccan food story.
Good to know
- Dafina is assembled on Friday and slow-cooked overnight — the quintessential Jewish-Moroccan dish.
- Fish preparations are central to Jewish-Moroccan cooking — fish is versatile under kosher law.
- Expect sweeter spicing and more dried fruit in Jewish-Moroccan savoury dishes.
- Moufleta (thin buttered pancakes) are specific to Mimouna, the post-Passover celebration.
- Jewish and Muslim Moroccan food share the same base; the differences are in dietary law and detail.
Frequently asked questions
What is dafina?
The Jewish-Moroccan Shabbat stew — assembled on Friday and slow-cooked overnight. It contains meat, chickpeas, potatoes, eggs in their shells, wheat berries, dates and spices, all melting together over long cooking into a deeply rich dish.
How is Jewish-Moroccan food different from Muslim-Moroccan food?
The base is the same — same spices, methods and ingredients. Differences include kosher dietary separations, the Shabbat slow-cook tradition, sweeter spicing, and holiday-specific preparations like moufleta and specific pastries.
Does Jewish-Moroccan food still exist in Morocco?
The Jewish community in Morocco is now very small, but awareness and appreciation of its food traditions are growing. Restaurants and cultural initiatives are working to preserve this strand of the cuisine. The traditions continue strongly in diaspora communities in Israel, France and Canada.
From the kitchen
Explore the food behind the culture with these recipes: