The name of the pie comes from the Spanish word pastilla, meaning either "pill" or "small pastry", with a change of p to b common in Arabic.

[7] The historian Anny Gaul attests to recipes that bear "a strong resemblance to the stuffing that goes inside modern-day bastila" in 13th century Andalusi cookbooks, such as ibn Razīn al-Tujībī's فضالة الخوان في طيبات الطعام والألوان fuḍālat al-k̲iwān fī ṭayyibāti ṭ-ṭaʿāmi wa-l-ʾalwāni.

[12] According to the historian of Jewish food, Gil Marks, pastilla was brought to Morocco by Sephardic Jews and, after filo reached the Maghreb in the Ottoman era, cooks substituted it for Andalusi-style pastry.

[5]: 1385 In Morocco, pastilla is generally served as a starter at the beginning of special meals,[13] and in one of two forms: one with poultry and one with seafood.

[15][1] Poultry pastilla was traditionally made of squab (fledgling pigeons), but shredded chicken is more often used today.

Chopped onions, water, parsley, and various spices including saffron are added and the meat is simmered until tender.

[19][better source needed] Among Moroccan Jews, pastilla is made with olive oil or margarine rather than butter to follow the laws of kashrut, which specifically prohibit eating dairy products and meat together.