mlewi ملاوي
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mlewi” (ملاوي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning flaky pan-cooked flatbread.
Meanings
- flaky pan-cooked flatbread
- sandwich made with this flatbread
Usage
Mlewi is a thin, flaky flatbread made from semolina and flour, oiled, then folded and cooked on a griddle or in a pan. It is eaten at breakfast, with honey or olive oil, or as a snack, rolled around a filling (tuna, harissa, egg, cheese). On the street, people often order "un mlewi" to mean the sandwich directly. In diaspora usage the word is left unchanged. It should not be confused with tabouna, a round bread baked in a clay oven, or with the Tunisian chapati, which is a filled bread.
Example
ملاوي و شكشوكة تونسيّة
Mlewi w chakchouka tounssiya
“Mlewi and Tunisian chakchouka.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mlewi” but also “mlawi”, “malawi”, “mloui” and “mlaoui”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.