The greatness of this pastry-wrapped delight is universally agreed upon

The dish
Pastilla, Morocco

Pastilla Morocco - a Moroccan and Algerian classic.Credit: iStock

Plate up

It’s been said before in this column, and I’ll say it again: there are many differences in this world, many cultural misunderstandings, but one thing almost all of us can agree on is the greatness of meat wrapped in pastry. There’s the Australian meat pie of course, but then Argentinian empanadas, (some) Indian samosas, British beef Wellington, Chinese Xian bing … I could go on. But instead I will focus on today’s meaty, pastry-wrapped delight: pastilla. This is a Moroccan and Algerian classic, in which layers of razor-thin filo pastry are wrapped around poultry such as pigeon or chicken, though sometimes seafood. That meat is first braised in butter with rich, warm spices such as saffron and cinnamon, as well as parsley and coriander, and then has eggs added before it’s folded into the filo, dusted with cinnamon, sugar and almonds, and baked. The result is both savoury and sweet, warm and comforting, and perfectly North African. It’s also usually an appetiser, which is bold, to say the least.

First serve

Here’s what we know, almost certainly: someone brought the idea of pastilla to Morocco. What we’re less sure of is who. According to some historians, Moors from Al-Andalus, now Spain, fled south in the 16th century and brought this recipe with them. Others say Ottoman Algerians migrated to Tetuan, just inside Morocco, in the 1830s, and they brought the dish. Others still believe it was Sephardi Jews, also moving south from Spain, who had a custom of cooking these pies with spiced meat. Regardless, it seems Morocco was the real winner.

Order there

Sample pastilla in its (eventual) home at the beautiful Al Fassia Gueliz restaurant in Marrakesh, which serves poultry or seafood versions (alfassia.com).

Order here

In Sydney, there’s excellent duck leg pastilla at Mimi’s in Coogee (merivale.com). In Melbourne it’s difficult to track this dish down, though there’s great North African food at Moroccan Soup Bar (moroccansoupbar.com.au).

One more thing

The type of pastilla you’re likely to be served will change as you move around Morocco. In the likes of Tangier it will be seafood-based, while poultry is the norm in Fez and Marrakesh; the Sephardic Jewish community, meanwhile, uses olive oil instead of butter to keep it kosher.