Pain petri facts for kids
| Type | Bread |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Originally Morocco, today more common in France and Israel |
| Region or state | Morocco, France, Israel, and the Moroccan Jewish diaspora |
| Created by | Moroccan Jewish community |
| Serving temperature | Traditionally for Shabbat, and other Jewish holidays |
| Main ingredients | Eggs, fine white flour, water, yeast, sugar, anise seeds, sesame seeds, sugar and salt |
Pain petri is a special braided bread that comes from Moroccan Jewish traditions. It's usually baked for Shabbat, which is the Jewish day of rest. It's also popular during Rosh Hashanah and other Jewish holidays. You'll find this bread enjoyed by Moroccan Jewish communities in Morocco, France, and Israel.
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What's in a Name?
The name Pain petri comes from the French words meaning "kneaded bread." This name was chosen because, a long time ago, people had to knead the dough for a very long time by hand. This was before cool kitchen machines like stand mixers were invented. Traditionally, the women in Moroccan Jewish families would spend a lot of time kneading the dough. This long kneading process helped the pain petri become super light and fluffy.
About Pain Petri Bread
Pain petri is made with a rich dough. It includes ingredients like flour, eggs, oil, sugar, salt, and anise seeds. It's often braided into a shape that looks a bit like a narrower challah bread. Sometimes, it's shaped into a long, oval ring, similar to a Jerusalem bagel.
This bread is traditionally served for Shabbat meals. It's the bread used for a special blessing called Hamotzi. Pain petri is also enjoyed on other Jewish holidays and for special events. For Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year, a special round version of pain petri is often made.
A Taste of History
Moroccan Jewish communities have been making pain petri for hundreds of years. They were baking it even before the Spanish Inquisition, a very long time ago! This bread is a bit like other special Jewish breads. For example, there's mouna from Algerian Jews, dabo from Ethiopian Jews, and kubaneh from Yemenite Jews. Of course, it's also similar to challah. However, pain petri has its own unique differences from these other breads.
For most of its history, pain petri was baked in communal ovens. This means families didn't have their own ovens at home. They shared a big outdoor oven with everyone in the community. It wasn't until the mid-20th century that things changed. Many Jews left Morocco and moved to Israel or France. That's when people started baking pain petri in their own home ovens. Even though many have moved, pain petri is still baked by the Jewish community remaining in Morocco.
How Pain Petri is Made
One cool thing about pain petri is that it's usually made quite quickly. The whole process, from start to finish, can take as little as an hour. Many recipes say it's ready in just 90 minutes!
First, a dough is made using flour, water, eggs, yeast, oil, sugar, and anise seeds. A hole is often poked in the middle of the dough, and it's left to rest for about 15 minutes. Then, the dough is shaped into logs and braided. This creates several small loaves that are either oblong and oval-shaped, or long like a narrow baguette. Before baking, the bread is brushed with an egg wash and topped with toasted sesame seeds. It's then baked until golden brown.
Sometimes, pain petri can even be made in a monkey bread-style shape, similar to kubaneh. It's traditionally served with Moroccan Jewish Shabbat meals. These meals often include dishes like chamin, chrain, or tagine with couscous.
See also
