Batbout Maammar, the mini stuffed flatbread now inseparable from Moroccan iftar tables, blends medieval bread tradition with modern, internet-born creativity. Practical, affordable and easy to prepare, it has become a Ramadan staple in both homes and bakeries alike. DR ‹ › The holy month of Ramadan is high season for Moroccan cuisine. Beyond the classics, sometimes centuries-old staples like Harira, Briwat and Baghrir, the iftar table is also a stage for more recent culinary inventions. Among them, crowned a staple of the Moroccan iftar spread, is filled flatbread, better known as Batbout Maammar. This not-so-old dish is a meeting of opposites: one old, one modern; one rooted in Moroccan culinary heritage, the other completely out of the box. Batbout and a filling. Served cold, it's easy to recognize: small, round, and generously stuffed, most often with sweet corn, tuna, lettuce, pickles, and sometimes steamed cubes of potato. Batbout we know. But the filling? Batbout itself is a pita-like bread cooked on an iron pan. Though not under the same name we use today, a primitive version of it dates back to medieval Morocco and Al-Andalus. In Fadalat al-khiwan fi tayyibat al-taam wa-al-alwan (The Excellence of the Table in the Goodness of Food and Colors), a 13th-century Andalusian cookbook written by the Murcia-born scholar Ibn Razin al-Tuyibi, documenting Almohad cuisine across the Maghreb and Al-Andalus, we find a recipe for «bread baked on an iron pan». The medieval recipe goes like this: semolina is taken, salt is moistened into it just enough to soften it, and it is kneaded thoroughly. A fermented mixture is then added gradually until the dough becomes supple and cohesive. It is shaped into loaves and cooked carefully on an iron pan. Variations include baking it in an oven or directly in the embers. The batbout we know today has evolved slightly. It is mostly kneaded from a mixture of white flour and whole wheat flour, with a small spoon of sugar and a generous spoon of olive oil added to the mix. Others still use semolina, sometimes blended with all-purpose flour. The real twist: The mini format and the filling For Moroccan chef Mohammed Afechkou, this version went viral among Moroccan moms thanks to «internet culture». «You can't point to a single creator. It's a mix of ideas that spread through forums, YouTube, and cooking groups until it became normalized and widely adopted». Today, it's hard to imagine an iftar table without mini batbout stuffed with various fillings, the chef jokes. Its popularity, he believes, lies in its simplicity. «The dough is essentially similar to pizza dough», the Moroccan version, of course, making it easy to adapt and reproduce. And the filling? Even simpler. «Tuna mixed with mayonnaise, sweet corn, and boiled potatoes, affordable ingredients that are easy to prepare», he explains. Most of the time, they don't even require further cooking. «It's the perfect Ramadan recipe», he adds. «The pace is hectic, especially for women, so anything quick and flexible works». Chef and restaurant owner Halima Boubakri agrees. «It's very practical and anti-waste», she says, pointing to the mini format, unlike the traditional, larger batbout our grandmothers used to bake. «Everyone takes their own portion». Batbout Maammar is no longer just homemade; it has been fully adopted by bakeries. A practical shift, Boubakri notes: «For working mothers and women who don't have the time, bakeries guarantee they can still have these items on their iftar table. They replicate what moms used to make». And for those living away from home? «It's a way to bring a piece of home to the table», she concludes. So, what's for iftar? Batbout Maammar?
