The Moroccan semolina pancake known for its many tiny holes is baghrir.
Baghrir is a small, soft Maghrebi pancake made primarily with semolina or flour. During cooking, bubbles rise through the batter and leave a honeycomb-like surface full of tiny holes. Because the pancake is generally cooked on one side, the holes remain open and readily absorb sauces.
In Morocco and Algeria, baghrir is commonly served with a honey-and-butter mixture, though jam and other sweet accompaniments are also used. Its spongy texture makes it particularly effective at soaking up liquids. It may appear at breakfast, as a snack, or during iftar in Ramadan.
The dish is not exclusively Moroccan: it is also eaten in Tunisia and has several regional names, including ghrayef and mchahda. The names can vary by dialect and locality, which sometimes makes identification tricky. Baghrir should also be distinguished from harcha, another Moroccan semolina preparation that is typically denser and has a more bread-like texture rather than baghrir’s porous surface.