Dish · moroccan
Pastilla
Pastilla is a savory sweet pie of shredded chicken (traditionally pigeon) and an egg thickened sauce layered in phyllo with fried almonds, then dusted with sugar and cinnamon on top.
Where it comes from
Andalusian cooks are often credited with bringing sugared meat pies to Morocco, and pastilla's sweet, cinnamon dusted top over a savory filling reflects a period when sugar and spice marked festive food.
What cooks argue about
The bird itself is the argument: pigeon is considered the traditional filling for its dark, deep-flavored meat, but it's hard to source outside Morocco, so most cooks substitute chicken and accept a milder result.
Nobody has published a pastilla recipe yet. The page stays out of search until one exists, which is the rule for every thin page here.