Mouna, also known as Mona, is an

Algerian Jewish The History of the Jews in Algeria refers to the history of the Jewish community of Algeria, which dates to the 1st century CE. In the 15th century, many Spanish Jews fled to the Maghreb, including today's Algeria, following expulsion from Spai ...

sweet bread of Sephardi origin, similar to challah, kubaneh or brioche, that is traditionally consumed for the Jewish holidays of Mimouna and

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

, which is commonly found today in France, and Israel, and has a sweet taste enriched with oil and eggs and often contains

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and ta ...

sesame Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...

, orange, or other citrus.

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 The history of the Jews in France deals with Jews and Jewish communities in France since at least the Early Middle Ages. France was a centre of Jewish learning in the Middle Ages, but persecution increased over time, including multiple expulsio ...

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

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.

References

{{African cuisine Shabbat Jewish baked goods Jewish breads Sephardi Jewish cuisine Passover Algerian Jews Algerian cuisine North African cuisine Oran Pastries