Sweets & pastries
Ghriba
غريبة · ghrība
Ghriba is a broad family of Moroccan cookies, unified by a short, crumbly, almost sandy texture rather than one fixed recipe: some are made with ground almonds and sesame seeds, others with semolina, and the well-known ghriba bahla cracks into a distinctive crinkled, snow-dusted top as it bakes. All are simple, not-too-sweet cookies built for the tea tray.
- Origin
- Across Morocco
- Type
- Crumbly tea cookie
- Eaten at
- Tea time, everyday sweets, Ramadan
- Key flavour
- Almond, sesame, or semolina; delicately sweet
What Ghriba is
Most ghriba recipes rely on a fat-rich dough — butter or oil worked with sugar, egg and either ground almonds, sesame seeds or fine semolina — that bakes up short and crumbly rather than chewy, with a texture closer to shortbread than a Western cookie.
The best-known variant, ghriba bahla, is rolled in icing sugar before baking so the surface cracks into a distinctive crinkled, snow-white pattern as it puffs and sets, making it as recognisable by sight as by taste.
Origin & story
Ghriba belongs to Morocco's everyday tea-time pastry tradition, simpler and less labour-intensive than showpiece sweets like chebakia or kaab el ghazal, made regularly for family tea rather than reserved for major feasts.
It also appears at Ramadan alongside richer sweets, offering a plainer, less sugary option to balance the honey-soaked pastries that dominate the fast-breaking table.
Key ingredients at a glance
- Butter or oil
- Sugar and egg
- Ground almonds, sesame seeds or fine semolina
- Icing sugar (for ghriba bahla)
- A little baking powder or ammonium bicarbonate for the crack
This is a flavour snapshot, not a recipe.
When & how it's eaten
Ghriba is served with mint tea or coffee, offered at nearly any time of day when guests arrive, and kept in a tin for casual snacking rather than reserved strictly for special occasions.
It's typically eaten in one or two bites, valued for its crumbly texture and mild sweetness rather than as a rich dessert.
Regional variations
Almond-and-sesame ghriba is nutty and dense; semolina versions are lighter and paler; ghriba bahla's crinkled sugar crust is its own distinct, instantly recognisable style.
It sits alongside fekkas as one of Morocco's everyday tea cookies, both simpler and less occasion-bound than the grand pastries like m'hanncha.
Where to try it in Marrakech
Pastry shops and bakeries across Marrakech sell ghriba by weight, often several types side by side — a sweets and pastry crawl is a good way to compare the different versions.
A Moroccan dessert class can teach one or two ghriba variations — read more about Morocco's everyday sweets in the guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is ghriba?
A family of crumbly, sandy-textured Moroccan cookies made with almonds, sesame or semolina, ranging from dense and nutty to the crinkled, sugar-dusted ghriba bahla.
What is ghriba bahla?
A specific ghriba variety rolled in icing sugar before baking, which cracks into a distinctive crinkled, snow-white pattern as it bakes.
Is ghriba very sweet?
It's only moderately sweet — plainer and less sugary than showpiece pastries like chebakia, making it suited to everyday tea rather than a rich dessert.