Recipe Ideas for a Moroccan Mimouna Celebration

Dear Amanda, Under the moufleta recipe you made the following comment: It’s celebrated immediately after Passover and while I don’t have proof I wonder if it wasn’t developed out of the tradition of Ramadan being followed by a feast day. Passover is also a time for sacrifice and having lived together for centuries it would make sense that there may be overlap.

Ramadan is a month of fasting so it makes sense to have a feast day after its completion. Passover is a holiday of many festive meals so it makes no sense to make yet another big meal when the holiday ends after eating big festive meals for eight days.

Also there is no direct connection between Ramadan and Passover. Ramadan can come out any month of the year as the Moslems use a solar calendar. Passover comes out only in the spring. So why didn't they do it after Succot or any of the other Jewish holidays?

Also, on Passover no sacrifice has been brought since the destruction of the 2nd temple which occurred in 68 c.e. The Passover rituals is in place of the sacrifice so we will not forget that we did once go to Jerusalem and bring the Passover sacrifice at the temple.

In addition the Jews of Kurdistan celebrate the same thing right after Passover but they call it Seharane, and it was celebrated for three days.

The common theme is of Maimuna and Seharane is the eating of leavened foods immediately after Passover ended when you cannot eat leavened foods. Moufleta eaten by the Moroccans and Kubeh eaten by the Kurdi Jews. The concept was to eat something leavened immediately after the holiday ends to show that we aren't adding/changing the law by extending the time not to eat unleavened foods. Some Moroccans also eat make and eat sfenj (donughts) at their Maimouna. I also saw a reference to Algerian Jews making and eating cous cous right after Passover.

Thank you so much for these recipes. My Jewish Moroccan family are scattered all over the world, but most ended up in France and Israel. My mom is the only member of her family that moved to the U.S.A... so it is harder for us to hold on to her family's traditions. I am very grateful for these online recipes, especially the ones ones written in English!! I can't wait to try them out and ask mom if the flavors bring back memories of her home.

Hey Amanda! Chances are high that you will never find a Jewish community in Marrakech as the remaining Jews in Morocco live in Casablanca now. :) So, maybe you can look for a family over there? ;) Mimouna is indeed typical of the Moroccan community but has spread over to the entire Sephardic community now. I know Algerian and Tunisian families who do celebrate this holiday as well. the two most typical leavened foods eaten during the Mimouna is sfendj and moufletta (very thin msemmen). Mmm... just talking about it makes me want to eat tons of it!

During the eight days of Passover, Jews have no bread or leavened foods in their homes. So, it became a custom that at the close of the holiday, Muslim neighbors visited Jewish homes, bringing gifts of sweet pancakes and other leavened products, which the Jews had not tasted in over a week, and had not yet had an chance to prepare. This is the Mimouna. In Israel, Mimouna has been adapted as a national holiday, celebrated on the day after Passover when Jews, Arabs and Druze gather outdoors to share their culinary traditions.

Hello / Assalamu Alaikum.

Thank you for the great ideas. I am Moroccan native of Casablanca and i have never heard of Mimouna. I like to read about it. I will try some of these great recipes.

Maria.