Bastilla is emblematic of Moroccan cuisine, a mix of Arabic, Berber and Andalusian influences. Savory and sweet, bastilla seems like a cross between dinner and dessert to many Western diners.

Then onto the bastilla. Bastilla, which can also be spelled "pastilla" or "b'stilla," is a Moroccan dish that traditionally features pigeon meat made into a sweet and savory pie.

Talk to a Moroccan cook about savory dishes such as couscous or tagine and their faces will brighten. Mention the filled pie called bastilla, though, and the conversation may turn rapturous as ...

Bastilla is the traditional Moroccan savory filo pie. Usually it’s filled with a mixture made of braised pigeon or chicken and scrambled eggs, scented with lots of yummy spices. Using cashews instead ...

Shokran Moroccan Restaurant (4027 W. Irving Park Rd., 773-427-9130). Moroccan. ½ (good to very good) $ ($20–$29 per person for a meal, without tax, tip, or alcohol) ...

On a recent visit we started with bastilla, a Moroccan cigar-shaped savory pastry with a mixture of cooked-down onions and a paste of toasted and ground almonds with orange-blossom water.

Described in 13th century Andalusian cookbooks and served at modern-day Moroccan weddings, the bastilla is a pie with shredded chicken cooked into a stew with onions, ginger, cinnamon and turmeric.