10 delicious African pastries

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Ask yourself this question, “do I really love pastries if I have never tried these delicious African pastries?” Then read this article to know how expressive you are with your food.

If you haven’t tried a good number of these African pastries, then you need to ask yourself some important questions like “Where has this article been all my life?” Don’t panic or feel bad, this is also a means for you to expand your mind on the different kinds of food you can find in Africa, not just food, traditions and culture in general.

Tradition is what is African countries are known for, and these traditions have the best cultures, from their art to their clothes, to their history, even down to their food. Think of something more creative than a continent being able to express their traditions and roots through food.

The making of pastries started a long time ago, but Africa was not left out when the world was evolving to the flavor-filled world of pastries.

These are a few pastries you should get familiar with, not just for the sake of knowing, but also for the sake of your mind, it is always a beautiful experience trying something new, now think of what it would feel like, experiencing the amazing world of African food.

There is just so much to learn and experience, but to get you started on your new journey of African dishes, welcome to this place called “How many of these African pastries have you tried?”

Before you get into the list, remember you can always check out other articles on African dishes and food in general at afrifoodnetwork.com/recipes.

Be sure to read a few of these articles, who knows maybe you would find new recipes to try, not in West Africa alone, but across several countries in Africa.

List of African pastries

As you begin to get into this list of African Pastries, be sure to leave this place with at least one or two African pastries you would love to try.

Welcome to a world of delicious treats, sweet enough to have as a snack at home, tasty and tender enough for you to give that visitor you’re having around for the weekend, delicious and juicy enough for a gift to your friends and your neighbors, Interesting and savory enough for your children’s afternoon snack.

Welcome to the world of African Pastries. In case you are looking for new recipes and West African food; you can check out this article about amazing west African dishes.

The first African pastry on this list is;

Koeksister (South African)

This sticky and delicious looking snack is enjoyed by South Africans. The preparation method involves the braiding of dough strips, then frying the braided dough strips. Looking at this snack you already know South Africans were creative during the process.

After braiding and frying of the braided dough, to add extra flavor and moisture, Koeksister is then dipped into sugary cold syrup.

Koeksister is a very popular street snack in South Africa and can be found almost everywhere around you, relieving you the stress of looking for where to find this delicious snack on the streets of South Africa.

To save you some money and give you the full Koeksister experience, you can prepare some in your house. The next time you’re wondering what snacks to offer your visitors, remember there’s an amazing Koeksister recipe waiting for you to use.

There are few ingredients you would need for your Koeksister recipe and they are;

• Granulated sugar
• Cinnamon stick
• Cream of tartar
• Water
• All-purpose flour
• Milk
• Salt
• Butter (Melted)
• Large egg
• Vegetable oil for deep frying

The next African pastry on this list is;

Kaab El Ghazal

This can be considered to be cooked, the difference might be a few Ingredients and the shape. Kaab El Ghaza had the shape of a crescent, due to the meaning of the name Kaab El Ghazal, which translates to gazelle ankles or it can also be known as gazelle horns.

This pastry can be found in places like;

• Tunisia
• Algeria
• Morocco

Although the recipes may vary, and the names may also be different, due to the various languages, Kaab El Ghazal is a pastry you’re going to have to try out at least once in a lifetime.

The next time you’re in any one of these countries, make sure you have a try of this pastry. If you cannot be in any of these countries, don’t worry, there is always a recipe waiting for you to try at home. So to get a little feel of what it might be like being in Tunisia, why don’t you give this African pastry a try?

For you to try Kaab El Ghazal at home or anywhere, you would need a recipe, and go get started on the recipe, you would need a few ingredients, and these ingredients are;

• Sugar
• Water
• Large eggs (Large)
• Salt
• Unsalted butter (Melted)
• Orange flavor water
• Bleached skinned almonds

The next African pastry on this list is;

Brik

Brik is a pastry that can be found in Tunisia. This dish is very special and delicious because you don’t have to stick to one recipe or flavor to get all the juice and flavor from this pastry.

The easy to way to describe Brik would be to say it is a soft dough that’s filled up with any ingredient you feel suits you enough for your taste. The dough for Brik is usually flaky, the layered texture and crunch can be achieved by the preparation of Brik with layers of laminated pastry.

What is a laminated pastry?

A laminated pastry or dough can be described as a culinary preparation method, that involves thin layers of dough, the layers of dough are usually many, and the layers of dough are separated using butter. They can also be referred to as puff pastry or pastry of a thousand leaves.

Ingredients for the preparation of Brik;

• Cumin seeds
• Water
• Sugar
• Garlic gloves (crushed)
• Red bell peppers
• Caraway seeds
• Turmeric
• Fresh parsley
• Eggs
• Cheese (optional)

Think of anything more delicious than this, nothing comes this close to Brik. Now you know how tasty and delicious Brik can be, so what’s stopping you from having a taste of this savory African pasty?

The only limit here, is the recipe, once you have a good recipe for Brik, you can start enjoying this African pastry. But to get you started on that recipe, you would need to know the basics, like the Ingredients that you would need to prepare Brik for your friends and yourself.

• Red bell peppers
• Caraway seeds
• Turmeric
• Fresh parsley
• Eggs

The next pastry on this list of African pastries is;

Briouats

Are you a lover of African pastries? Are you looking for some new Moroccan pastries to add to your “African pastries I’d love to try” list? Look no further, Briouats is the African pastry for you.

This is an African pastry that can be found most commonly in Morocco. The fascinating fact about this African pastry is the fact that you are free to create a taste and flavor of your own.

Briouats is an African pastry that involves the stuffing of a dough with any kind of ingredient you would want to have fun with. This means, you can stuff your dough with anything you love, giving you the freedom to create your own taste, flavor, and overall appearance. If this isn’t interesting, it’s hard to tell what is.

Think of all the ingredients you can add, think of all the flavor you can mix, all the colors you can create when you want to prepare this African pastry at home.

To give you an Idea of what you can add to Briouats, here’s a few ingredients to get you started;

• Lamb
• Turkey
• Fish
• Lemon
• Chicken
• Cheese
• Tomato Sauce
• Sausages

Now that you know how free you are to create a whole flavor and taste of your own with this African pastry, What’s stopping you from getting up and going to the kitchen and make some Briouats for yourself? Allow yourself to experience new dishes and pastries.

You cannot prepare this African Pastry with knowing the ingredients needed, so here are a few of the ingredients you would need to prepare Briouats;

• Chicken
• Fish
• Sausages
• Tomato sauce
• Cheese
• Lemon

Briouats can either be fried or baked, and to give your already delicious African pastry, Briouats an extra flavour, a few spices, ingredients and herbs can also be added to Briouats. Briouats is usually in a triangular or cylindrical shape.

You have a good amount of information of what Briouats would taste land look like, why then are you not having some in your mouth right now?

There are so many recipes waiting for you to experience here at the African food network

The next pastry on this list of African pastries is;

Sfenj

Do you like doughnuts? Do you like fritters? If the answer is yes, then this is the pastry for you. This is still for the Moroccan recipe lovers, and the explores.

Sfenj is another delicious Moroccan pastry, it is made from unleavened batter and is also considered to be “doughnut-like fritters”. Now why wouldn’t you want to have a try of this African Pastry?

The dough is rolled to the shape of a ring, and deep-fried till it is crispy and brown. The inside is supposed to be really soft and sweet.

If you love to try it plain then you should, but if you want to add some extra flavor and savory to this African pastry, then you can sprinkle some sugar around the dough.

Sfenj can be found very commonly on the streets of Morocco but why wait to go Morocco when you there is a recipe waiting to be used?

Be practical and create these African pastries in your kitchen and have a feel of what Morocco

To create magic in your kitchen, you would need a few recipes and ingredients to get you started, so here’s a few ingredients you would need to prepare this African pastry in your kitchen;

• Sugar
• Dried yeast
• Salt
• Eggs
• Warm water
• Flour

Image from: Pinterest.com

The next pastry on this list of Africa pastries is;

Chicken Pie

Do you love chicken and do you want fun new pastries you can explore with your chicken? This African pastry is for you.

Chicken Pie is very common across several countries in Africa, including West Africa and South Africa. It can be found in some countries like;

• Ghana
• Nigeria
• Cameroon
• Morocco
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa

Many other countries also have their own recipes, but still doesn’t stop you from enjoying this delicious African pastry.

The focus is on the chicken pie that’s traditionally made, South African style. This pastry is delicious for all the chicken lovers out there; This would be said to be their favorite snack. Get ready to have a new favorite snack.

This juicy but never watery African pastry is a must-try, so these are a few ingredients you would need to get you a step closer to the mouth-watering recipe;

• Sago
• Sliced Ham
• Lemon Juice
• Ground cloves
• Nutmeg
• Chicken bouillon granules
• Thyme leaves
• Seasoning salt

To get the full taste and feel of this tasty African pastry, you’ll need a good recipe, but not to worry, you can get the full recipe here at the African food network.

The next pastry on this list of African pastries is;

B’ stilla

Did you think the topic of chicken pie was done? Get ready to love B’stilla as much as you loved the South African chicken pie.

B’stilla is another type of chicken pie that is very common in places like North Africa and the Middle East; Like other recipes of chicken pie, B’stilla has its own recipe that makes it different from the other traditionally prepared chicken pies.

The recipe for this African pastry would include some ingredients that would be needed to get you a step closer to preparing this dish, and these ingredients are;

• Chicken breasts
• Fresh parsley
• Water
• Melted butter
• Salt and pepper
• White sugar
• Ground cinnamon
• Eggs
• Frozen puff pastry

After reading all these about this sweet African pastry, who wouldn’t want to have a taste? Do you want to prepare this delicious African pastry at home? Are you looking for a good recipe? Look no further, there’s always a good recipe waiting for you to use here.

You can get the full recipe for B’stilla here, at the African food network.

The next pastry on this list of African pastries is;

Ma’amool

This pastry which means “filled” in Arabic, and can be found in most places in North Africa and also the Middle East.

Ma’amool Is a delicious treat that everyone needs to try, this Pastry is usually in the form of a crescent, and is basically a cookie, that you get to have fun with. “Fun?” you might ask, the feature of this African pastry that gives it this sweet and savory feeling, well, it is the fillings that you are free to be creative with.

Ma’amool is a crescent shaped cookie, that allows you choose a filling that you could best enjoy it with, a few fillings you can enjoy Ma’amool with;

• Nut mixture
• Raisins
• Fruits

Say you wouldn’t love a taste of this amazing African pastry. Are you looking for a recipe to get you started? Well what’s a recipe without ingredients?

Here are a few ingredients to get you started;

• Ground walnuts
• Water
• Confectioners’ sugar
• White sugar
• Rose water
• Semolina flour

Now don’t you feel a step closer to tasting this delicious treat? Well you can get even closer to having a try of this sweet and tasty African pastry, you can find the recipe here at; the African food network.

The next pastry on this list of African pastries is;

Umm Ali

If you have been waiting to get to the sweet and tasty Egyptian dessert, then get ready to smile because you are here.

Umm Ali is an Egyptian dessert, that can be considered to be an equivalent to the North Americans bread pudding. Do you want to know tasty? Then get ready to know Umm Ali.

For further flavor or taste, to suit your preference and creativity, this delicious African pastry can be enjoyed with many sides, anything at all you choose, can be used to enjoy Umm Ali.

Are not intrigued on the things you can enjoy this pastry with, to help cure your curiosity, here are a few things you can have a treat of Um Ali with;

• Vanilla ice cream (Or any flavor you love, step out of that box for a second)
• Soft drinks
• A glass of wine
• Water
• Fruit Juice
• Smoothies

Image from: Pinterest.com

The next pastry on this list of African pastries is;

Om Ali

Did you love Umm Ali? Do you love pastries with interesting back stories? Get ready to love Om Ali.

This African pastry is enjoyed very commonly amongst the Egyptians, and the pastry involves the use of puff pastry or phyllo dough, a few nuts to give it a grand taste. There is also an intriguing story behind the history of the African pastry Om Ali.

Behind every meal, pastry, drink, and snack you can think of, there’s always a backstory of a few people behind the food. The African pastry Om Ali is not exempted from these stories of great history and life.

It is said that the name of the sultan Ezz El Din Aybeks’ wife was Om Ali, he also had a second wife named Shagaret El Dorr.

After the death of their husband, there was a rift between the two wives, which was mostly due to the competition for their sons to rule the land. This rift between the two wives led to some manipulations by Shagaret El Dorr to kill Om Ali.

Shagaret El Dorr Allegedly bribed Om Alis maids to murder her, so the maids killed Om Ali, it was also said she was beaten to death with her own slippers.

In an attempt to “celebrate” the death of her co-wife, Shagaret El Dorr prepared this pastry and shared it amongst the people of her land in Egypt.

What’s a great African pasty without a great story?

Now that you know the history of Om Ali, why wouldn’t you want to try this delicious snack? Don’t worry, you would get the recipe for this dish, but wouldn’t you need a few ingredients?

These are a few ingredients you would need for your Om Ali recipe;

• Walnuts
• Hazel nuts
• Flaked coconut
• Milk
• Heavy cream

We have come to the end of this list of ten African pastries you would love, Wasn’t it fun? How many of the African Pastries have you tried? Did you find any one interesting? Were you intrigued? It would be hard not to find any African pastry you’d love to try on this list.

You don’t need to feel stressed or worried about the snacks to give your friends who is coming to visit you over the weekend, all you need is a list of pastries, which you already have here, and a really good recipe, which is also here. What are you waiting for? Get baking and enjoy the best African pastries you will have. It would be so good; Your visitors would ask for the magical recipe.

It’s okay if you were not moved by any of these African pastries, but believe you will find other amazing recipes and dishes, don’t worry, you don’t have to look too far to find the dish for you, there’s a whole world of African food for you to explore here at the African food network.

Feel free to score yourself over ten, how many of these African pastries have you had before? Feel free to also tell us your favorite African pastry.

Have a nice day, drink water and explore the world of African food from just your phone, but don’t be stuck on your phone, get up and bring life to this amazing world of culture and food, from just your kitchen.