Dishes & their history
History of Chebakia and Ramadan Sweets
When Ramadan comes, Moroccan kitchens fill with the smell of frying dough and warm honey: it is time for chebakia. Shaped into intricate flowers, fried crisp, bathed in honey and rolled in sesame, this sweet is the emblem of the fasting month, eaten with harira at the breaking of the fast alongside a whole family of festive treats.
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- 7 min
- Topic
- Dishes & their history
- Updated
- 19 July 2026
At a glance
- Chebakia is a honey-soaked, sesame-coated fried pastry shaped like a flower.
- It is the classic Ramadan sweet, eaten with harira at iftar.
- It belongs to a wider family of energy-rich sweets made for the fasting month.
The flower of Ramadan
Chebakia is inseparable from Ramadan. In the days before the month and throughout it, families make large batches of the spiced, sesame-rich dough, cut and fold it into rose or flower shapes, fry it until golden, then plunge it into warm honey and finish it with sesame seeds. The result is sticky, fragrant and keeps well — ready to serve each evening.
At iftar, when the fast is broken, chebakia is eaten with the bowl of harira, its sweetness balancing the savoury soup and its sugars helping to restore energy after a long day without food.
A table of sweets
Chebakia is the star, but it shares the Ramadan table with other sweets and energy-dense foods designed to nourish and comfort during the fasting month.
- Chebakia: honey-dipped, sesame-coated fried flower pastry, the emblem of the month.
- Sellou (sfouf): a rich, unbaked blend of toasted flour, almonds, sesame and honey.
- Briouat: sweet almond-filled pastry parcels, fried and honeyed.
- Dates: the traditional first bite to break the fast, eaten before the soup.
Sweetness after the fast
These sweets are more than indulgence; in the rhythm of Ramadan they play a practical role, delivering quick energy and comfort at the fast-breaking meal, and they carry the warmth of a month centred on family and generosity. Making chebakia in quantity is itself a communal ritual, often shared among the women of a household.
They are part of the wider world of Moroccan pastry and festival food. Read on with the history of Moroccan pastries and the history of harira.
Frequently asked questions
What is chebakia?
Chebakia is a Moroccan sweet made from spiced, sesame-rich dough folded into a flower shape, fried until golden, dipped in warm honey and coated with sesame seeds. Sticky and fragrant, it is the emblematic sweet of Ramadan.
Why is chebakia eaten during Ramadan?
Chebakia is eaten with harira at iftar, the breaking of the daily fast. Its sweetness balances the savoury soup and its sugars help restore energy after a long day without food, and it keeps well so it can be made in advance.
What other sweets are eaten in Ramadan?
Alongside chebakia, common Ramadan foods include sellou (sfouf), a rich blend of toasted flour, almonds, sesame and honey, sweet almond briouat, and dates, which are traditionally the first thing eaten to break the fast.
Is making chebakia difficult?
It is time-consuming rather than simple. The dough must be spiced, rolled, cut and folded into flower shapes before frying and honey-dipping, so families make it in large batches. The work is often shared, making it a communal Ramadan ritual.