What is sellou (sfouf), the Moroccan toasted flour sweet?

Sellou is one of the most distinctive sweets in Morocco because it is not baked at all — it is built from toasted ingredients pressed together into a rich, sandy mixture. Flour is browned in butter until deeply golden, sesame seeds are toasted, almonds are fried, and the lot is ground and blended with honey, more melted butter, cinnamon, anise, and sometimes gum arabic. The result is mounded into a dome and decorated with whole fried almonds.

The texture is what surprises first-timers: it is loose and powdery at first, almost like a sweet halva crumble, then it melts and turns dense and buttery on the tongue. The flavour is gloriously nutty and toasty, with warm cinnamon and the liquorice note of anise running through it. It is intensely rich — a single spoonful is satisfying — and very high in energy, which is exactly the point.

Sellou comes out in force during Ramadan, eaten to break the fast or in the small hours before dawn, because it sustains you for long stretches without food. It is also traditional fare for a new mother after childbirth, much like rfissa, and appears at weddings and celebrations. Families guard their own recipes, and the balance of spice and sweetness varies from house to house.

Because it keeps well, you will find it in good pâtisseries and souk sweet stalls year-round, sold by weight or in pretty boxes that make excellent gifts. The finest versions, though, are homemade, so if you are travelling during Ramadan ask your riad whether they will share some at iftar. On my culinary experiences I love handing guests a spoonful and watching the powder-then-melt moment land.