Warqa

Warqa is most famously used to make bastilla (also spelled pastilla or b'stilla), the Moroccan savory-sweet pie filled with pigeon or chicken, almonds, and spices. It is also used for briouats—small fried or baked pastries filled with meat, seafood, or vegetables.

Warqa is made by dabbing a wet batter directly onto a hot metal surface and peeling off paper-thin sheets, whereas phyllo is made by rolling and stretching dough into thin layers. Warqa sheets are slightly thicker and more pliable than phyllo, producing a crisp but less shatteringly delicate texture when cooked.

Warqa is difficult to find in standard supermarkets but can sometimes be purchased frozen at Moroccan or Middle Eastern specialty grocers. Many home cooks substitute spring roll wrappers or phyllo pastry as more accessible alternatives.

Traditional warqa is made by mixing wheat flour, water, and salt into a thin batter, then using a brush or your hand to dab it onto a heated convex metal surface called a tobsil and peeling off each translucent sheet as it sets. Home cooks sometimes adapt the technique using a nonstick pan or crêpe maker.