MIMOUNA

Tirvachu Ve’tisadu- -Be comfortable and start EATING! Young Israeli Emissaries: Sahar & Yoav 4/19/2017 Enjoy! What is Mimouna? Mimouna is a traditional festival celebrated by Moroccan Jews at nightfall on the last day of and throughout the following day until sundown. Families open their homes to the public as they host a celebration involving family, friends, neighbors, and food. Since the celebration coincides with the last day of Passover, breads, cakes and leavened breads previously prohibited from being eaten during Passover are particularly present in the celebration. Mimouna is a time to celebrate luck and good fortune as well as the start of the spring season. The source of the name: The name of the holiday, “Mimouna,” has several different, fascinating meanings. The most famous of them attribute the name to the Hebrew word “emuna” (belief), the death of the preeminent medieval Sephardic Jewish philosopher, Rambam (“”) or the name of the Berber goddess of luck (“Mimouna”). A less popular explanation ascribes the name of the holiday to the city of Tamimouna near Sudan, from which many Jews came to the Tafilalt region in southern . During the , alongside the prayer for “next year in ,” it was customary to pray for a return to Tafilalt. Does this mean we are actually Sudanese?

Mufleta Mufleta is probably the most famous recipe out of many traditional Moroccan-Jewish recipes for Mimouna. What is a mufleta? Mufleta is essentially like crepe that is either dipped or coated in honey and butter. Each Moroccan family in has its own recipe for mufleta! Mufleta symbolizes sweetness, happiness and prosperity in the Mimouna festival. Mufleta Recipe 3 3/4 cups flour 1 1/2 cups warm water Pinch of salt Vegetable (not olive) oil, as needed Instructions for the Mufleta recipe: 1. Place flour and salt in bowl. 2. Scoop out a "well" in the middle and add water there. 3. Mix, adding a little extra water if dough seems too dry. 4. Mix together until a light and elastic dough is formed. 5. Divide dough into 15 to 20 small balls. 6. Cover with dish towel and let stand 30 minutes on a flat, well-oiled surface. 7. Oil hands and on oiled surface, roll dough into thin circles. 8. Spread small amount of oil in frying pan and cook mufleta over medium heat. 9. Cook both sides. 10. Pan does not need to be re-greased before cooking the rest of the mufletas. 11. Place on a plate and cover with dish towel to keep them warm. 12. Serve warm with butter and honey. 13. These may be frozen and re-heated in microwave. Makes 15 to 20 mufletas.

Hope you have fun!! Love, Sahar & Yoav