You may have heard of sellou! Every Moroccan knows it, even if the names vary from region to region. This delicacy is sometimes considered a snack, a dessert or an afternoon tea. Traditionally, locals eat it and serve it in bowls accompanied by mint tea. Sellou is often perceived as a calorie bomb. However, it's its use at the heart of the day that makes it either a blessing or a curse for weight loss.

In itself, sellou is a blend of noble ingredients. So let's take a look at how it can help us in our daily lives.

Sellou: a traditional recipe

Above all, sellou is a traditional recipe. It is originally a source of protein composed of :

• almonds
• roasted flour
• honey.

Over time, the recipe was consolidated with seeds and peanuts. At the end of the day, butter or olive oil was added to the recipe instead of honey. In short, today's sellou is a grandmother's recipe. Anyone can innovate as long as they keep the basic ingredients.

A great source of energy for athletes

Sellou is a recognized benefit for athletes. Morocco is a world-renowned athletics nation. This Berber recipe is therefore a caloric explosion that helps to keep you fit and active. A beneficial source of vegetable protein and carbohydrates, it provides satiety and energy. In the High Atlas regions, runners are accustomed to eating it with breakfast.

Why should you eat sellou at the start of the day?

From the outset, sellou is a high-calorie dessert. Certainly, out of context, it feeds the legend of excess kilos. However, it's at breakfast time that you'll find its greatest benefits. When you read its ingredients, it's a food that's just right for those following the healthy trend. For people who want to look after their figure, it's above all a satiating ingredient.

Serve with a dairy product, toast and fruit juice to start the day. This oleaginous preparation makes it easy to keep going until midday. With sellou, the gurgling in your belly at 10 a.m. is a thing of the past!

An all-round flavour benefit

Sellou is also a very fragrant recipe. You can savor it with your eyes before generously spooning it into your mouth. So always remember to do it at the right moments. Avoid stuffing your face between meals to preserve the healthy, natural flavour of this delicacy.

Sellou is a generous recipe that combines pleasure and tradition. In Morocco, it is often presented in the form of a pyramid and decorated with blanched almonds on top. Very popular at ceremonies such as weddings, circumcisions or during the month of Ramadan, it is savored with excess. It's this negative aspect that makes you think that sellou is fattening.

It's certain that when you multiply oriental pastries and tea, the whole mix doesn't mix very well. So remember that sellou is a healthy food that's good for you.

Sellou is excellent for morale

If you've never tried sellou before, it's easy to fall in love with this preparation. The recipe's almonds, honey, aniseed and other secret ingredients make it a remarkably exotic product. What's more, it's not easy to find on the market. Apart from a few online stores. So it's up to grandmothers to compete for recipes.

And unfortunately, these days, it's hard to find a quality product. Expensive ingredients are often swapped for cheaper raw materials. This, of course, makes the recipe less appealing. Finally, sellou is a local recipe. New consumer trends and globalization are overtaking traditional recipes. Knowledge is being passed on less and less. That's why it's so important to defend this foodstuff, which is so much a part of Moroccan gastronomy.

An oleaginous preparation for a great time during Ramadan

In Morocco, the month of fasting is also an opportunity to strengthen family ties. For this occasion, sellou is a recipe to be enjoyed at Sahour time. It will easily serve to give strength and satisfy hunger until the early afternoon. It's an ingredient you need before the day's fatigue sets in.

This is why sellou combines gustatory pleasure and balance at the heart of the day. It's a moment we enjoy with our families, just like tasting Harira. All these little moments celebrate the benefits of Moroccan cuisine for the whole family.

What are you waiting for if you haven't tried it before?

When you taste sellou, you often expect an excess of sugar in your mouth. But just like expertly-made gazelle horns, it's the stuffing that counts. So, the best sellou will be the one where the crunch and fragrant taste stand out. Sugar is the last ingredient to be carefully measured out. Just as you would add a touch of salt at the end of a simmered dish.

Keep in mind these essential ideas about the benefits of sellou:

• an oleaginous preparation that easily satisfies hunger from breakfast onwards
• an explosion of caloric flavors, excellent for those with busy days.