Pastilla is a North African dish, popular in Moroccan cuisine, made with salted meat, crunchy dough, and sweet spices. Chicken is often used in the US instead of pigeon meat. The dish is made with filo pastry and seasoned with cinnamon and icing sugar. It is traditionally served in large portions and eaten with the right hand. There are sweet variations of pastilla found in French cuisine. Recipes are available online, but some call for the chicken to be cooked the day before and chilled overnight.
Pastilla, which can alternately be called Bastilla, Bstilla or Bsteeya, is an interesting North African dish, a particular favorite in Moroccan cuisine, which combines the flavors and textures of salted meat, crunchy dough and sweet spices. Although the traditional dish in Morocco or other parts of North Africa may be made with squab or pigeon meat, in the United States you are likely to see chicken substituted instead. The chicken is cooked and shredded and can be combined with toasted and ground almonds.
What makes the pastilla unusual, is that the meat and other ingredients are then formed into a paste made with filo pastry. In Moroccan restaurants, pastille is typically one of the offerings, and when restaurants serve in the traditional way, where hands are used instead of silverware, a large pastille is served to guests, who then break off the pieces with their hands. The pastilla is usually seasoned with cinnamon and icing sugar, creating an unusual yet delicious taste and making it quite different from European meat pies and pasties.
A word to the wise if you happen to be dining at a traditional Moroccan or North African restaurant: Be careful when you take bits of the pastilla after it’s first served. The interior can be extremely hot. It’s quite easy to burn your tongue or fingers if you take too large a portion at first. Also use only your right hand to tear off pieces of this dish or any other food served. The left hand is used for hygienic purposes in Morocco and it is considered impolite to use the left hand to take food. These traditions are relaxed outside the Arab world, but should be carefully followed if you happen to be in Morocco.
There are several variations of pastilla. You will find many different national cuisines that have adopted its use for desserts. Pies with pears and honey in phyllo dough can be called pastillas, although they tend only to be sweet and not savoury. Such pastillas are often found in French cuisine, and of course, French cuisine has not only influenced Moroccan cuisine, it has also been influenced by it.
You’ll also find numerous recipes online if you’d like to try making one of these pastes. With easy-to-buy filo pastry on hand, it’s actually not difficult to make your own. The main difficulty for some is that many recipes call for the chicken and spices to be cooked the day before and then chilled overnight. Some recipes also recommend beating the eggs into the chicken before wrapping the cold meat in the pastry. This creates a more pastry interior, but some recipes find this step superfluous. You will have a drier pastille if you omit the eggs.
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