The dish of "Elbakbouka", prepared every year on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha (festival of sacrifice), is one of the most deeply rooted ancestral culinary traditions among Oujdi families. The women of Oujda take care during the first day of Eid to prepare this dish made from sheep tripe stuffed with minced liver, lung, intestines, and meat, all mixed with smoked rice and different kinds of spices. Once cooked, this dish is garnished with chickpeas.
The researcher in the heritage of the Oriental region, Yahya Belkhou, stressed that the Oujdi woman plays a particular role during the days of Eid Al-Adha since she strives to prepare the various dishes dedicated to this very important religious festival, notably "Elbakbouka", which offers an unmissable opportunity for the extended family to gather around a delicious and substantial dish. "Elbakbouka", customarily served for lunch, is the second dish consumed by Oujdi families during the day of Eid after "Elmelfouf" (grilled liver wrapped in sheep fat), a highly prized dish presented with mint tea, noted the researcher.
If the dish of "Elbekbouka" has managed to cross the centuries to reach our plates today, other traditions have fallen into oblivion even if they added a special touch of festivity and joy to this occasion, he added. Indeed, Mr. Belkhou pointed out, the inhabitants of Oujda prepared for Eid from the first days of the month of Shawwal (two months in advance), by buying sheep to raise them on their farms, since the city was semi-urban and the dominant economic activity was agriculture and livestock farming.
The children, who waited impatiently for this great festival, would gather in the old squares of the city (Ahrrach square, Hadada mosque square, etc.), and sing at the top of their voices ditties such as "Tomorrow is Eid, we will slaughter Aicha and Said", without even knowing its exact meaning, namely that "Aicha" alludes to the ewe and "Said" to the ram. During the morning of Eid, the inhabitants of the city put on their traditional clothes and head towards the mosques or towards the squares specially arranged for the Eid prayer, before returning home to perform the sacrifice of the sheep in an atmosphere of mutual aid and conviviality.
After the butchering of the animal the day after Eid, Oujdi families keep the right shoulder called "Yed Messaouda" (Messouda's hand), which popular belief claims that whoever eats it, God will brighten their days during the rest of the year.
