''Ma'qūda'' () is a

Maghrebi Maghrebi Arabic, often known as ''ad-Dārija'' to differentiate it from Literary Arabic, is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb. It includes the Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian, Libyan, Hassaniya and Saharan Arabic di ...

fritter A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been Batter (cooking), battered or breading, breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-frying, deep-fried. Fritters ar ...

made of a potato-based batter. In addition to puréed potato, the batter can contain garlic, salt, hot pepper, egg, and cheese. In

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, the fritter is popular across the northern part of the country where it is sold as a sandwich in fast food restaurants, usually with

harissa Harissa (, from Maghrebi Arabic) is a hot chili pepper paste, native to the Maghreb. The main ingredients are roasting#Vegetables, roasted chili pepper, red peppers, Baklouti peppers (), spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, c ...

. Ma'qūda is also called ''khbizat ma'dnos'' () in the east, while in the west, it is sometimes stuffed with cheese or ground meat and eaten with harrira soup. It is a cheap food enjoyed by students and others of modest means in cities such as

Fes Fez () or Fes (; ) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fez-Meknes administrative region. It is one of the largest cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.256 million, according to the 2024 census. Located to the nort ...

. In

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, maakouda is commonly sold at street stalls, especially in the form of a sandwich, served inside Moroccan bread and often accompanied by harissa. It is a typical low-cost food, widely consumed by students and workers. During the month of Ramadan, it is commonly included in the evening meals that break the daily fast.

References

Fritters Maghrebi cuisine Potato dishes {{Arab-cuisine-stub