Moroccan · dessert

M'hancha (Snake Pastry)

Name: M'hancha (Snake Pastry)
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 10 sheets warqa; 3 cups ground blanched almonds; 1 cup powdered sugar; 3 tbsp orange blossom water; 1 tsp cinnamon; 4 tbsp butter, melted; 1 egg, beaten; 1 tsp orange zest

M'hancha (Snake Pastry) reads citrus 6.4, sweetness 6.0 and richness 5.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Moroccan dessert, about 55 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 2.4 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 7.0 / 10
Sour & Bright — 7.0 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.3 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.8 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 2.4 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Citrus 6.4 · Sweetness 6.0 · Richness 5.5 · Nutty 4.5 · Fruity 3.3 · Umami 2.4 · Warm Spice 2.2 · Sourness 2.0 · Floral 1.9 · Earthy 1.2 · Bitterness 0.9 · Herbaceous 0.6

What's in it (8)

10 sheets warqa
3 cups ground blanched almonds
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp orange blossom water
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp orange zest

Time & effort: about 55 min (25 min active) · effort: easy

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 476.1 kcal, 13.6 g protein, 36.1 g fat, 31.7 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (4 steps)

Combine ground almonds with powdered sugar, cinnamon, orange blossom water, and orange zest to make a firm almond paste.
Roll the paste into a log, wrap it in overlapping sheets of warqa brushed with butter, then coil the entire roll into a flat spiral.
Brush the top with egg wash and bake until golden.
Dust with powdered sugar and draw cinnamon lines across the top.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Kaak (Lebanese Ring Cookies) — Lebanese
Pasta Frola — Argentine
Melomakarona (Honey Walnut Cookies) — Greek
Seffa (Sweet Couscous with Butter and Cinnamon) — Moroccan
Briouat (Stuffed Fried Pastries) — Moroccan

Keep reading: what citrus, sweetness, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

See how this dish fits your palate — take the short taste test →

Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.