🇲🇷 Mauritanian Cuisine

Taguella

Sand-Baked Bread

Prep Time 1 hour
Servings 6
Difficulty Medium
Calories 247 kcal

A thick, dense flatbread traditionally baked buried under hot desert sand and embers, yielding a uniquely crusty and smoky loaf. This is the signature bread of Mauritania's Tuareg communities.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Combine flour and salt. Gradually add water and oil, kneading vigorously for 10 minutes until a firm, smooth dough forms.
  2. 2 Shape the dough into a thick round disc about 3cm tall and 25cm wide.
  3. 3 Heat a heavy cast iron pan or flat cooking surface over medium heat.
  4. 4 Place the bread disc in the pan and cook covered for 15 minutes on the first side until a hard crust forms.
  5. 5 Flip carefully and cook another 15 minutes until both sides are deeply golden and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
  6. 6 Let cool slightly, then break apart by hand to serve alongside stews, grilled meats, or tea.

Did You Know?

True taguella is baked under the sand of the Sahara — desert travelers can smell a taguella baking from hundreds of meters away.