كعك وجدي/كعك وجدة/Kaâk Wajdy (Oujda ou Wajda) / Moroccan Sunny-Shaped Cookies with Anise, Fennel and Sesame Seeds /Brioches d'Oujda ou Biscuits Marocain sous Forme de Soleil à Base de Graines de Fenouil, d'Anis et de Sésame!


This is really one unique, delicious, crunchy cookie, a classic recipe from Oujda town (pronounced as WJDA), and it's the largest city in the East of the Kingdom. The richness of Moroccan sweets and pastry lies in its unlimited and huge diversity, and every city makes its own version of sweets, but in vastly, surprisingly different way; thus making every region has its proudest speciality!  If Corne de Gazelle are considered in Fes, Tetouan, and Marrakesh as the top speciality, this typical Kaâk Wjdi  is the staple Dwaz Atay (sweets) in the East side of the Kingdom.

Moroccans are well known for the delicate and complex aromas and flavours in their pastries which come in a variety of textures and sweetness levels as Corne de GazelleGhribaFakkasBriwat, MhanchaChebakiaAlmond petits-foursMeskoutaSellou, Mazgan (Masabane or Marzapane), etc...., but these Kaâks, with their different varieties have been perhaps overlooked, and they are rarely mentioned as the highlight of Moroccan baking or published in a cook book or even in a food blog.  I' m afraid they are fading into obscurity!

This traditional recipe was passed down from our family's friend to my dear mother, who passed it down to me, my sisters, and all the aunties and friends. It has a mostly infallible list of ingredients that includes the most popular seeds in Moroccan Cuisine and these are great ingredients that in combination are utterly lovely! The dough for these Kaâks is quite different from standard cookie dough in that it is less sugary, not too salty or greasy either.  When served, they look so elegant for any occasion or simply for an afternoon tea. The combination of all those seeds add a lovely crunch and one bite is an explosion of flavour in your mouth!

Kaâk Wjdi is easy to make, and the only planning it takes is to check if you have got all the ingredients on hand before you start. However, I do believe that there is not one (1) recipe that can accommodate everyone's tastes (especially cookies and desserts in general), so some uses less sugar and add in more honey, or changes the proportion of seeds, or even experiments with grinding a variety of seeds together to get a range of flavour that suits their palate.  Some omits certain seeds or substitute them for new ingredients such as nuts, almonds, peanuts, walnuts etc....   In general in Morocco these Kaâks are very commonly made with anise seeds which is a favoured taste by most Moroccans.  They are now made in dozens of flavours and some prefer to include few different ingredients to modernize the traditional version, such as crème fraîche, sour crème, buttermilk, orange juice or milk etc...

The term Kaâk is pronouced as [K U 3 K], the number "3" stands for the Arabic letter "ع" , this is why the second "â" in the word [Kaâk] has got an "accent circonflexe ou accent chapeau".  Originally Kaâk was made as a long-shelf-life food or snack, carried by several camel travellers, along with dates, dried figs, roasted chickpeas and almonds. Today, Kaâk is simply a delicious "Dwaz Atay", and a popular accompaniment to fresh mint tea!

You say "Kaâk" , we say "Mgarml" [M G U R M L], which means CRUNCHY! In fact Moroccans use the term Kaâk to refer to any type of crunchy cookie. Kaâks are mostly round Shaped Bracelet except for "K3ik3at" = كعيكعات .  There are different types of Kaâk and strangely enough they are named after few cities :

1-Kaâk Wejdi (City Oujda = كَعْكْ وْجْدِي ): These are also called "Sunny-Shaped Biscuits or "Brioche d'Oujda" and this is the version I'm posting today.  The recipe as you can notice include both yeast and baking powder as "Shebakia Halwa", whereas the other Moroccan Kaâk version do not.

2-Kaâk D'Essaouira or Swiri (City d'Essaouira = كَعْكْ صْوِيرِي ): This is an egg free version and it includes less seeds. This Kaâk has got some diagonal scores, and it is very popular throughout the Kingdom.  Some say it's the best! My mother once told me that this Kaâk's recipe is originally from the Moroccan Jews.

3-Kaâk Rbatti (City Rabat =  كَعْكْ رْباطِي ): Believe me, these Kaâks make a lot of people happy!  They are the most attractive and the most expensive version of all Kaâks.  They are stuffed with a delicate home-made almond paste before being shaped into circle, then they are beautifully and skilfully decorated.  When served, they add an incredible touch of sophistication to your table.  These are most enjoyable to me!

4-Kaâk Massfiwi or Sfiwi (City of Safi = كَعْكْ سْفِوي ):  It has some similarities to the Kaâk Swiri, except that this version requires a special machine to make the circle shape along with some special patterns on top.  Some prefer to use simply a knife or fork to score this Kaâk. They are sold by street vendors everywhere and you can also find them in big markets or Souks.

5-K3ik3at = كعيكعات or Krichlat [9richlat] d'Achoura (قْريشْلاتْ عاشوراء ) : This term is a diminutive word of "Kaâk" to express the small size of this version.  These are special Kaâks, made to give to family, relatives and friends on the day of "3achoura" (Ashura or Achoura = عاشوراء), along with dates,dried figs, almonds and roasted chickpeas.

These Kaâks are also commonly found in different countries as Tunisia, Lybia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Somalia, Yemen, Turkey etc... The term "Kaâk" can refer, in these countries, either to a type of bread or brioche or crunchy cookie, or soft stuffed cookies. The shape can be either round, square, oval, or otherwise.

Enjoy this Kaâk Wjdi with Moroccan tea, watching this lovely video of Reggada Folklore, which is a traditional dance, very popular in Oujda City and several neighbouring regions!


I'm submitting this post to Susan's Yeastspottinga blog devoted to yeast bread.  Please check it out!

Reggadally Yours!
Khadija El Mary




Comments

coco said…
love cookies !
Hi -- It looks like the rest of the directions for this recipe got cut off. I would love to try these, if the recipe can be completed! :)
John said…
This is what Essaouira is known for as well. I ate those cookies in Essaouira and I was told they are simple to make. They taste delicious and not over sweet like so many cookies we have in the state.
John
Lea said…
The flavours in these cookies sound incredible! Love this! I went to Morocco several years ago and LOVED every second- what a great experience! They're on my list to do for Christmas.
Leah
smartcat said…
WOW! I just found you via Yeastspotting. I am constantly teased about my love of almond paste...and now I have a recipe.
Thanks, I am having such fun exploring your blog!
Those are wonderful cookies! I bet they are quite addictive. Such treats don't last long at my home.

Have a lovely end of week, dear!

Bises,

Rosa
Soumiya22 said…
Très bon article sur Kaak Marocain, bien que je n'aime pas le Kaak de la ville d'Oujda, j'aime plus le Kaak d'Essaouira ou du Rabat. Très belle présentation et des photos qui me salivent comme toujours, chaque fois que je visite ton blog.
Soumiya22
Leila said…
I am really loving your cookies and your whole site. I'm Moroccan as well, living in Dubai. Keep sharing and thanks.
Leila