Pastilla

Pastilla is the set piece of the Fassi kitchen and the dish that most divides visitors, because it is sweet and savoury at once and does not apologise for it. The filling is poultry - pigeon traditionally, chicken now more often - cooked down with onion, ginger, saffron, cinnamon and coriander, shredded, and layered with eggs curdled in the reduced sauce and with almonds fried and crushed with sugar. That goes into warqa, a pastry made by dabbing wet dough onto a hot dome so it leaves a tissue-thin sheet, which is a skill in itself and is why most households buy it rather than make it. The pie is baked and then dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon in a lattice. There is also a seafood version, which is savoury throughout, and a milk-and-almond dessert version. It takes hours to make and is ordered ahead at most restaurants.

What you actually see

• Sweet over savoury - icing sugar and cinnamon on a spiced poultry pie.
• Warqa pastry - tissue sheets made by dabbing dough on a hot dome.
• Three layers - shredded poultry, curdled egg in sauce, and sugared almonds.
• Ordered ahead - hours of work, so most restaurants need notice.

When to go

All year; order a day ahead where possible. A long meal.

Honest expectations

The sweet-savoury combination genuinely divides people - try a small one first. Pigeon is now uncommon; chicken is the usual filling. Cheap versions use bought pastry and skimp the almonds. It is very rich and a whole one defeats most people.

Nearby

Fes is where it is best; the seafood version is common on the coast.