Kaak d'Oujda (كعك وجدة)

The dentelled ring is the whole gesture. You roll a cord, close it with the heel of your hand, then nick the edge all around so the biscuit comes out with that little lace that tells an Oujda child what is in the tin before the lid is fully open. Keep the dough firm and let it rest: firm dough holds the cut, resting lets the flour drink, and the rings won't crack when you bend them.

This is eastern Morocco in the mouth: anise, sesame, orange blossom water, and a little meska horra if your spice merchant has it. There isn't one Moroccan cuisine, but des cuisines marocaines, and kaak d'Oujda belongs to the frontier, close in accent to Tlemcen and the old road as much as to the rest of Morocco.

Make a full tin. These biscuits are made ahead because they keep their welcome: for Eid morning, for a neighbor who knocks, for tea poured when nobody planned a visit. Une table, c'est une porte qu'on laisse ouverte, a table is a door you leave open, and a ring biscuit knows how to wait by the door.