Sfenj

Alternative names	Bambalouni, khfaf, sfinz
Type	Doughnut
Place of origin	Maghreb
Main ingredients	Flour, water, sugar, yeast and salt
Food energy (per serving)	137 kcal (570 kJ)[1]
Nutritional value (per serving)	Protein 2 g Fat 8 g Carbohydrate 14 g
Media: Sfenj

Sfenj (from theArabic wordArabic:سفنج,romanized: Safanj, meaningsponge) is aMaghrebidoughnut: a light, spongy ring of dough fried inoil. Sfenj is eaten plain, sprinkled withsugar, or soaked inhoney. It is a well-known dish in the Maghreb and is traditionally made and sold early in the morning for breakfast or in the late afternoon accompanied bytea—usuallyMaghrebi mint tea—orcoffee.^[2] The term Sfenj is used inAlgeria and other parts of theMaghreb. It is calledbambalouni inTunisia,^[3] andSfenj inLibya.^[4] InMorocco, the term "Sfenj" is used, also sometimes nicknamed in the literature "Moroccan doughnuts".^[5][6][7] It is also calledKhfaf orftayr inAlgeria,^[8][9][10] and is sometimes also dubbed as the "Algerian doughnut".^[11][12]

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Sfenj originated inAl-Andalus (Moorish Spain). According to legend, Sfenj was created by mistake, when a baker accidentally dropped a ball of dough into a pan of hot oil.^[13] Sfenj was an important part of Andalusi culture, whose role was best summarised by a verse from a contemporary poet: "The Sfenj bakers are worth as much as kings" ("سفاجين تحسبهم ملوكا").^[14]

It is unclear how Sfenj first spread to the Maghreb, although it is said to have been well known to theMarinid Dynasty, which ruledMorocco from 1270 to 1465. It spread toFrance during the 13th century, where it inspiredbeignets.^[14] Sfenj were only sweetened with sugar starting in the 18th century, even thoughsugarcane has been widely cultivated in theArab world since the 8th century. Before that, they were sweetened with honey orsyrup, or simply served plain.^[14]

Although Sfenj comes from Al-Andalus, most bakers and sellers of Sfenj in the Maghreb have traditionally beenAmazigh (Berbers). The nomadic Amazigh are thought to have spread Sfenj throughout the Maghreb, aided in that by merchants who traveled across the region.^[14]

The chefMustafa an-Nakīr remarks that head meat withSfenj was a popular breakfast inMarrakesh in his grandparents' time.^[15]

Dedicated Sfenj bakers, calledsufnāj (سفناج), soon appeared throughout theMaghreb, attesting to the dessert's popularity.Sufnājeen (plural ofsufnāj) became central figures in the social life ofMaghrebi neighborhoods, as they interacted with almost every household in their community every morning, and working as asufnāj was considered a respectable career. In a traditional Sfenj bakery, thesufnāj (and their large circular fryer) sit on an elevated platform, raised slightly above the rest of the bakery, which is already raised more than a meter off the ground. Customers surround this platform and try to catch thesufnāj's attention to place their orders by raising their hand at him or her and shouting.^[13][14]

Traditionalsufnājeen are quickly going extinct in the modern Maghreb, as a result of the rise of industrial bakeries and the proliferation of Sfenj recipes over theInternet blogosphere.^[13]

InLibya Sfenj is eaten sprinkled withsugar or soaked inhoney or date molasses. It can be eaten for Friday breakfast or withafternoon tea.^[16] Though it is eaten year-round,^[17] it is especially popular during the winter months and aroundRamadan andEid al-Fitr.^[18] It is the Libyan version of the Sfenj^[19] doughnuts that are widely popular across the other countries of theMaghreb.^[4]

Sfenj can also be prepared with afried egg in the center.^[18] The egg can be runny or hard, and is often topped with cheese.^[4][17]

Sfenj (Hebrew:סְפינְג',romanized: Sfinj) entered Israeli culture before 1948, as Maghrebi Jews brought it with them when they immigrated toMandatory Palestine.^[20] Sfenj quickly became popular forHanukkah, as it is easy to prepare at home. However, Sfenj's ease of preparation contributed to its loss of popularity in Israel when theHistadrut, Israel's national labor union, pushed to make the jelly-filledsufganiyah the traditional food of Hanukkah, during the late 1920s. Making sufganiyot at home takes a lot of work (particularly since most Israelis don't have deep fryers), and the Histadrut wanted sufganiyot to supplant the home-madelatkes in order to secure jobs for Jewish bakers.^[21] Their effort was successful: by 2016, Israel's 7 million Jews were eating 20 million sufganiyot per year.^[22] More Israeli Jews report eating sufganiyot for Hanukkah than fasting forYom Kippur.^[21][23]

In addition to ordinary Sfenj, there are two special varieties of Sfenj, not counting the different toppings (honey, syrup, and sugar) Sfenj can have:^[13]

• Sfenj matifiyya (السفنج المطفية), Sfenj that is pounded flat and then fried a second time
• Sfenj matifiyya bil-baydh (السفنجة المطفية بالبيض), Sfenj matifiyya with anegg added before refrying

Sfenj's importance to Moroccan culture is reflected in severalidioms inMoroccan Arabic, including:^[14]

• "Give someone a Sfenj and he'll say it's ugly" (صاب سفنجة وقال عوجة), meaning "do not judge a book by its cover" or "do not bite the hand that feeds you."
• "As if hitting a dog with a Sfenj" (بحال يلا ضربتي كلب باسفنجة), meaning a futile orSisyphean endeavor, especially an act of pointless petty revenge (because if someone hits a dog with a Sfenj, the dog will eat and like it).
• "Demanding oil from asufnāj" (طلب الزيت من سفناج), meaning "taking from the needy" (because asufnāj—a Sfenj baker—uses large amounts of cooking oil).

• Sfenj being deep-fried in a traditional tilted deep fryer in Marrakesh, Morocco. The Sfenj are placed on the edge with no oil to fry the bottom and inflate the dough. Once fully inflated they are moved into the hot oil.
• 
  Sfenj in Essaouira Morocco. Sfenj are still bound together by passing a length of palm frond through the center as is pictured here.
• 
  Method for making Sfenj in Algeria
• 
  Khfaf fromKabylie in Algeria
• 
  Sfenj sprinkled with sugar and served on a plate

• Malasada, the Portuguese equivalent
• Buñuelo, the Latin American equivalent
• Frittelle, the Italian equivalent
• Picarones
• List of doughnut varieties

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSfenj.

• Sfenj/Sfenj recipe
• Sfenj recipe from theLibyan Observer

• Doughnuts
• Maghrebi cuisine
• Street food

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