Boulou

For the village in Togo, see Boulou, Togo.

Boulou

Alternative names	Boulous
Type	Bread or cake
Place of origin	Originally Libya, Djerba (Tunisia), today more common in France and Israel
Region or state	Maghreb, France, Israel, and the Libyan and Tunisian Jewish diasporas
Created by	Libyan and Tunisian Jewish communities
Serving temperature	Traditionally for Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, and other Jewish holidays
Main ingredients	Eggs, fine white flour, water, yeast, sugar, golden raisins, honey, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, sesame seeds, salt, Tunisian Jews add orange zest or juice and chopped almonds [1]

Boulou, also known as boulous, is a Libyan Jewish sweet bread or cake of Maghrebi Jewish origin, similar to mouna, tishpishti, or pound cake, that is traditionally made into loaves or rolls and consumed as part of the meal preceding the Yom Kippur Fast, or as part of the break fast that follows. It is most commonly found today in France, and Israel. Boulou has a sweet taste enriched with sugar, eggs, honey, oil, and golden raisins it often contains seeds such as fennel, sesame, and nigella seeds. ^[2]

Overview

"Throughout the Hebrew month of the High Holidays known as Tishri, Jews from North Africa have enjoyed this orange-scented boulou bread. Libyan Jews have made it with yeast and Tunisian Jews with baking powder. Little known outside of those communities, Gil Marks does not even mention it in his Encyclopedia of Jewish Foods. Though sadly overlooked, boulou is a citrusy and colorful addition to the fall holiday menu. The venerable Jewish population of Libya, having lived there since the third century, now mostly resides in Israel and North America. We can note that distinguished past through this fragrant bread."

— Rabbi Deborah Prinz ^[3]

Boulou is traditionally consumed by Maghrebi Jews during the Hebrew month of Tishrei in the leadup to Yom Kippur, and as part of the Yom Kippur breakfast. ^[4] Boulou has a unique taste and texture that can be described as either a sweet cake-like bread or a bread-like cake, as it is close to both. It is also traditionally served for Rosh Hashanah. ^[5] Its popularity has spread from Libyan Jewish cuisine, to Tunisian Jewish cuisine, but also to French Jewish and Israeli cuisine (owing to the large population of Libyan Jews in both countries). ^{[2] [6] [7]}

Tunisian Jewish version

The Tunisian Jews have a version of boulou due to their proximity to the Libyan Jews. This variant uses baking powder instead of yeast as a leavened and is similar to the Libyan Jewish boulou but with the addition of orange zest and chopped almonds. ^{[2] [4]}

References

1. "Boulou". Jewish Food Experience. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
2. "Boulou recipe". The LA Times. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
3. "Beyond Challah and Honey". JW Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
4. "Boulou". Jewish Food Experience. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
5. Prinz, Rabbi Deborah. "Boulou: North African Orange Bread". The Jewish Week Food and Wine. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
6. "Boulou North African Orange Bread". On the Chocolate Trail. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
7. "Beyond Challah and Honey". JW Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.