Mouna

Etymology

Mouna derives its name from the Jewish holiday Mimouna, a special holiday traditionally celebrated by Maghrebi Jews to mark the end of the Pesach (Passover) holiday with a feast of sweets and baked goods. Mouna likely comes from the Hebrew word emunah, meaning faith.

Overview

Mouna is a very popular bread, especially in Algerian Jewish cuisine, but also in Moroccan Jewish, Tunisian Jewish, as well as French Jewish and Israeli cuisine (owing to the large population of Maghrebi Jews in both countries).

Mouna is used in similar way as Challah is used by other Jewish communities, as the bread served for Shabbat and other holidays such as Mimouna of the Yom Kippur break fast. Mouna is a delicate and sweet bread, and also sometimes contains a filling such as jam in the center.

Preparation

Mouna is prepared most often for Jewish holidays and special occasions in the Algerian Jewish community. Mouna is prepared by making an enriched dough made with flour, eggs, cooking oil, water, sugar, salt, and sometimes anise seeds, and orange or lemon zest or juice. The bread is then Kneaded and left to rise. It is then formed into small individual balls, and the balls of dough are joined together in a pan and are coated with an egg wash. Oftentimes mouna is topped with powdered sugar or sesame and anise seeds. The bread is then baked, and when it is ready it often looks somewhat similar in appearance to the Yemenite Jewish bread kubaneh (another popular Shabbat bread), or the American monkey bread.