Fried Dough · Morning Street Snack

Sfenj (سفنج)

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Its name comes from the Arabic word for "sponge", a nod to the open, airy crumb inside the crisp shell.

Sfenj is a ring-shaped, unsweetened yeasted doughnut deep-fried to order until crisp outside and airy inside. Vendors thread the hot rings onto a palm-reed string for carrying, and Moroccans grab them fresh from the souk, often dunked in sugar or eaten alongside sweet mint tea.

Why it's made this way: Sfenj is often said to have come to the Maghreb from Moorish Spain, and it became a dawn-to-morning street trade because vendors can keep a big batch of risen dough by the fryer and fry rings continuously to order.