Makroud

Makroud is made from coarse semolina worked with butter or oil and orange-blossom water into a dough, wrapped around a paste of dates cooked with cinnamon and cloves, rolled into a long bar, marked with a pattern and cut on the diagonal into diamonds, then fried and dropped hot into honey or syrup, which it drinks up. It belongs to eastern Algeria in particular, with Constantine and the date-growing region around Biskra both claiming it, and it appears at every celebration, at Ramadan and in the pastry shops the rest of the year. Baked versions exist and are lighter; the fried one is the standard.

The main sights

• Date paste inside semolina dough - the filling the pastry is built around.
• Diamonds cut on the diagonal - the shape and the marked pattern.
• Fried and steeped in honey - the finish that makes it heavy and sweet.
• Pastry shop counters - the trays sold by weight in the east.

When to go

Year round, with production peaking at Ramadan and around celebrations. One hour. Buy by weight from a pastry shop rather than pre-packaged.

Practical notes

It is very sweet and very heavy, and two pieces defeat most people. Quality varies enormously between shops. Pre-packaged supermarket versions are dry and not worth trying. Date paste quality is what separates good from bad.

Nearby

Constantine and Biskra are the two centres; Tolga's date groves lie nearby.