Best Dishes at Sfenj Vendors in Medina

Sfenj is the Moroccan daily doughnut — light yeast dough squeezed through a ring mold into hot oil and fried until the outside crisps and the inside stays airy. The texture is more delicate than American doughnuts, less dense. When fresh (minutes after frying) they're eaten warm dusted with sugar, sometimes with a handful of salt mixed in to balance the sweetness. Most Moroccan children eat sfenj for breakfast with mint tea. This is comfort food that doesn't pretend to be anything else.

A richer version of the sugar-dusted sfenj — the vendor dips the warm doughnuts directly into a pot of honey (or drizzles honey over them) so the sweetness soaks in while the dough is still warm. The honey makes the texture slightly chewy and sticks to your fingers. This is the more indulgent breakfast choice, though less common than the plain sugar version at street vendors.