Briwat are wrapped in warqa, a paper-thin Moroccan dough. Warqa is a delicate pastry sheet used to enclose fillings before briwat are shaped into triangles or cylinders and fried or baked.
Briwat can be savory or sweet. Savory versions may contain chicken, lamb, seafood, cheese, herbs, and spices, while sweet briwat commonly contain almond paste and are finished with warm honey scented with orange blossom water. Their crisp exterior comes from the very thin wrapper and the cooking method, rather than from the thicker breads named in the wrong options.
The pastry is closely related to Morocco’s broader tradition of layered and filled doughs. Warqa is also used for other preparations, including bastilla, where it helps create a crisp shell around a richly seasoned filling. Its name is often translated simply as “paper” or “leaf,” reflecting its thinness.
Baghrir is a yeasted semolina pancake, harcha is a pan-cooked semolina bread, and msemen is a layered flatbread. None is the wrapper traditionally identified with briwat.