The Moroccan-Jewish stew traditionally cooked overnight for the Sabbath is dafina.
Dafina is a slow-cooked Sephardic Sabbath dish prepared before sundown on Friday so it can be eaten on Saturday, when Jewish law traditionally prohibits cooking. Common versions combine meat, potatoes, chickpeas or beans, wheat berries, onions, spices, and eggs, though recipes vary substantially between families and regions.
The dish belongs to the wider family of Jewish overnight stews. Its broader Sephardic ancestor is hamin, while Moroccan communities also use names such as skhina or s’hina. “Dafina” is associated with the idea of a covered or buried dish, reflecting older practices of sealing or placing cooking pots in embers or communal ovens.
Dafina is not the same as Ashkenazi cholent, although both solve the same Sabbath-cooking problem. Ingredients and seasoning distinguish regional versions, and some Moroccan recipes use turmeric, cumin, paprika, marrow bones, or whole eggs for a rich, long-simmered meal.