{"id":26403,"date":"2022-04-23T18:08:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-23T16:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bake-street.com\/?p=26403"},"modified":"2026-04-08T12:25:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:25:23","slug":"kaab-el-ghazal-gazelle-horns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bake-street.com\/en\/kaab-el-ghazal-gazelle-horns\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaab El Ghazal – Gazelle Horns"},"content":{"rendered":"

I believe that, without a doubt, one of the most aromatic and elegant pastries that we can enjoy is everything that surrounds Arabian gastronomy. I have already told you about it on occasion, but I do it again. Today I expand my repertoire with this recipe for Kaab El Ghazal – Gazelle Horns<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Just the name alone makes me fall in love…. I find it beautiful and very original. But when we see this wonderful elaboration, it is almost impossible not to fall in love with it. It is incredible how with only two elements; flavored almond paste and a very simple dough, we can achieve a piece that could almost be jewelry. I love the care and detail that they invest in all their creations.<\/p>\n

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Although at first it may seem a complicated preparation, you will see that it really is not. Its decoration and shape makes the final result impressive and very elegant, but in reality it is a portion of almond paste, covered with a fine dough that we will later texturize with the help of a crimpet. This is where we create that impressive final finish.<\/p>\n

Then we will have to let the pieces dry to finish cooking them for a short period of time. And that’s all. A perfect recipe to surprise at coffee time, or perhaps better with a mint tea (atay bi naa’ naa’<\/strong><\/em>), and that we can leave prepared in advance.<\/p>\n

\"Kaab <\/picture><\/div>\n
Kaab El Ghazal – Gazelle Horns origin.<\/h5>\n

On this occasion, I have found hardly any information about the history or origin of these small sweets originating in the Maghreb<\/strong>. This is something that happens with many pieces of Moroccan pastry and the reason for this is that Moroccan gastronomy is a mixture of the culinary art of Berbers, Jews and Andalusians, besides having a European touch due to the French colonization<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This pastry is a favorite in Morocco, Algeria (they call them Tcharek<\/strong><\/em>) and Libya (they call them kaak halkoom<\/strong><\/em>) and it seems to be a variant of sambusak<\/strong>. The name kaab el gazhal<\/strong>, is often mistranslated as “gazelle horn<\/strong>“, most probably because besides being a much more attractive name, its elongated crescent-shaped appearance is reminiscent of the horns of this animal. Actually, the correct translation would be “gazelle’s heel<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n

In France they are called “Cornes de Gazelles”<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Kaab<\/strong><\/em>, a cognate of the Hebrew word ahkaiv<\/strong><\/em>, is the source of the name Yakov or Jacob who was born clutching the heel of his twin brother, as well as referring to a heel, denotes something bulging or protruding, which in this case would be the filling.<\/p>\n

The dough, in its origins, was made with smen<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>(salted, fermented, clarified butter made with sheep’s milk) although nowadays it is common to find elaborations in which a portion of butter is used directly or, even in some occasions, vegetable oil. The filling is a slightly sweet and flavored almond paste.<\/p>\n

\"Kaab <\/picture><\/div>\n
<\/picture><\/div>\n
Delicacy.<\/h5>\n

As I mentioned before, the Moroccan pastry (Arab in general) is surprisingly creative and elegant, they spend a lot of time to the elaboration of each of the pieces and we can clearly appreciate the love and care they invest in each of them. But not only professionals, many housewives are true artists and keep alive this culture and creation of pieces of edible goldsmithing or ephemeral art.<\/p>\n

Ka’ab al-Ghazal, Kaab El Ghazal<\/strong> or Gazelle Horns<\/strong> as it is mostly known by us, is a thin dough filled with a paste of ground almonds flavored with flower water that is prepared on Eid<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are two Eid holidays throughout the year: Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Eid Al Fitr<\/strong><\/a> (meaning “the festival of the end of fasting<\/strong>“) is an important date in the Islamic calendar celebrated by Muslims around the world, marking the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Shawwal<\/strong> (the tenth month in the Islamic lunar calendar).<\/em><\/p>\n

Eid Al Adha<\/strong> <\/a>(it could be translated as “Celebration of Sacrifice<\/strong>“) also called Aid Al Kebir<\/strong> (Great Feast<\/strong>). This holiday, whose date is not fixed with respect to the Gregorian calendar or the seasons, takes place on the tenth day of the month of Zil-Hajj<\/strong>, which is 70 days after Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Adha is part of the Hajj<\/strong>, the great pilgrimage to Mecca, which must be performed at least once in a lifetime during this month. It is considered the “Eid of greater importance<\/strong>” of the two. It lasts four days from the tenth day of Dhu Al Hijjah<\/strong> (the twelfth and last month of the Islamic lunar calendar).<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Kaab <\/picture><\/div>\n
\u201cKa’ab\u201d takes the form of a crescent moon.<\/h5>\n

It is then artistically decorated. They are then baked at low heat for a short period of time and served. They are sometimes stored individually in clear plastic bags and sealed with a gold seal or silver ribbon and placed on a tray.<\/p>\n

Kaab Al-Ghazal<\/strong> or Gazelle Horn<\/strong>, which is considered the origin of all almond sweets in Moroccan confectionery, being the finest and most popular sweet of all.<\/p>\n