 Maarouk bread, garnished with shredded coconut and crushedpistachios | |
| Alternative names | Ramadan bread |
|---|---|
| Type | Bread |
| Region or state | Levant |
| Associatedcuisine | Syrian cuisine |
Maarouk (Arabic:معروك,romanized: maʿrūk),Marook, or "Ramadan bread", is a traditional Syrianleavened sweet bread common inLevantine cuisine. It is made into a variety of shapes and sizes, and is stuffed with various fillings, it is very popular during the month ofRamadan, and is traditionally stuffed with date paste, and flavored withmahleb.[1][2][3]
A similar, date-stuffed, ring bread is mentioned as "aljerk" in the records from Jerusalem's Islamic court in the 17th century.[4]
It is similar to other leavened breads found inIraq andTurkey likeÇörek, also known as "zherk" (Arabic:جرك), the Iraqi bread has a similar shape and date stuffing to maarouk.[5][4][6][better source needed]
The termmaʿrūk (المعروك) derives from the Arabic rootʿaraka (عرك), meaning "to knead" or "to mix thoroughly until cohesive." Traditionally,maʿrūk was prepared by hand before the advent of kneading machines.[7][8]
The dough for maarouk typically usesyeast for leavening, eggs and milk are sometimes added in, various spices are incorporated into the dough.[3][4]
The most common stuffing isdate palm,[4] a wide array of other fillings are available, including chocolate,qishta, cheese,[9]Biscoff Lotus, coconut, among many others,[10] it is sometimes sold plain with no filling.[1][11]
Some commons shapes for the bread are rings,[6] braids,[3] and loafs.[1]
The toppings used can vary significantly as well, common additions aresesame seeds,[1]nigella seeds,[3] shredded coconut, and various nuts.[12]Egg wash is also added on top.[4]
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Maarouk is popular in Syria, where it is a staple of Ramadan cuisine.[1] Hence it is also known as "Ramadan bread".[13][14]
Despite its immense popularity, its availability and consumption have been negatively impacted by theSyrian civil war.[14][10]
Outside of Syria, maarouk is popular in theWest bank andJordan,[15] as well as Lebanon during Ramadan.[11] InPalestine, it is sometimes callednawa'im (Arabic:نواعم).[15][16] Maarouk is also a staple of theCuisine of Jerusalem, where it is sold on stalls in theOld City of Jerusalem, it is often stuffed withdate palm paste and given a yellow color by incorporatingturmeric into the mix.[4][6]
Media related toMaarouk at Wikimedia Commons
