Culinary versatility and the “mufletization” of Israeli Mimouna rituals

Food rituals are crucial for negotiating cultural identity and social relations, but their role in reflecting and shaping social change remains underexplored. This article addresses this gap by examining the Mimouna, a Moroccan Jewish holiday, as a case study. Theoretical discussions on rituals typically contrast interpretive-contextual approaches, focusing on meanings derived from changing contexts, with structural-ontological approaches emphasizing ritual rigidity. However, these frameworks fail to capture how rituals preserve core features while adapting to sociocultural surroundings. By analyzing the Mimouna’s key cultural mechanism—the ‘ada—lucidly manifested in its culinary repertoire, we describe a dialectical relationship between change and continuity, and between ritual structure and context. The ‘ada functions as a structural ritual mechanism fostering versatility, improvisation, and innovation, integrating external sociopolitical influences. We demonstrate that while the Mimouna has evolved since migrating from Morocco to Israel, the mechanism of the ‘ada is evidenced by the diverse and creative ways zaban and hand-made “Moroccan cookies” are prepared and served. Simultaneously, it is challenged by “the Mufletization of the Mimouna,” a process named after the mufleta, now an iconic dish in Israeli Mimouna celebrations. This process involves reinforcing standardization of the Mimouna, simplifying the holiday, and even constructing it in a way that can render it somewhat primitive. Consequently, this process risks reinforcing uniformity and erasing the versatility of the Mimouna, ultimately contributing to the marginalization of Israelis of Moroccan descent.