From flaky, golden and crunchy pastries to the creamy ones which linger on your tastebuds long after they are gone, pastries have innumerable varieties. And it is not just the likes of croissants that fall under pastries, there’s baklava, doughnut holes, mille-feuille, and more items ranging from simple to downright indulgent. The Occident, Orient and the Middle East all have different kinds of these pastries and as cultural exchanges took place, so did techniques and ingredients that birthed delicious pastries. Here are some of them from Portuguese shores to the riverine Jordan with their sweet pastries that will make for an excellent birthday surprise for wife
In the picturesque town of Sintra, Portugal, a local bakery guards the recipe for Portugal's beloved travesseiros pastries. Translating to "pillows" or "cushions", these crisp confections are made with buttery puff pastry with an almond-egg yolk cream filling. It was first created in the 1940s at the iconic Piriquita bakery, and upon baking each travesseiro takes on the form of a golden, flaky pastry, topped with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
The bustling city of Penang in Malaysia gave birth to a unique baked pastry – the rotiboy, which originated at a restaurant of the same name. It was originally marketed as "Mexican coffee buns", and these pillowy buns are made with a leavened dough that is buttery and topped with a coffee-infused buttercream. During baking, the cream layer transforms into a thin, crispy coffee-flavoured crust enveloping the bun. Inspired by the Mexican concha, these buns were an instant hit upon their introduction in 1998 by the eponymous Rotiboy bakery. Today, the franchise has expanded across Asia and the Arab world, with their signature offering now famously referred to as "rotiboy" or "roti kopi".
Steeped in French confectionery heritage since the 19th century, the religieuse is a sweet choux pastry dessert. Two spherical choux buns, one larger than the other, are filled with the velvety crème pâtissière. Each piece is then covered in a luscious chocolate ganache that cascades down the sides. The buttercream acts as the adhesive, assembling the components into a single steady pastry and theories suggest that the dessert's name as well as this shape, resembles a nun's habit.
In Portugal and Brazil, a beloved sweet treat exists that reminds one of raindrops pattering against kitchen windows – bolinhos de chuva, or "rain cakes". The name is such because these crispy pastries were prepared by families during stormy days. The dough is made with ingredients like eggs, flour, sugar, milk and baking powder, shaped into small balls and fried till golden and crisp. Post frying, a dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon complete these little dough balls. While bolinhos de chuva are delicious on their own, many love to dip them in rich dulce de leche or velvety chocolate ganache.
Kaab el ghazal are crescent-shaped cookies from Morocco, but can also be found in Algeria and Tunisia under monikers like "cornes de gazelle" or "tcherek". Translating to "gazelle ankles", they are mostly colloquially called "gazelle horns". Within their thin, flaky pastry shells lies a sweet almond filling flavoured with cinnamon, and both the dough and the filling are infused with orange blossom water. To make these pastries even more indulgent, some versions coat them in crushed nuts or dip them in orange blossom water before a final dusting of sugar.
Hailing from iconic Santa Fé in Granada, Spain's piononos pay tribute to Pope Pius IX in both name and form, created by pastry chef Ceferino Isla. These sweet pastries have an airy sponge cake base, generously stuffed with a cream and cinnamon filling, and rolled into a cylinder. It's then generously doused in rum-spiked syrup and then covered with toasted cream and sugar. With their chubby, cylindrical shape, piononos are artfully wrapped in white paper mimicking a cassock.
Hailing from Jordan, warbat is a triangular pastry filled with cream or custard and soaked in sugar syrup. Once adequately soaked, these pastries are adorned with a garnish of chopped pistachios, almonds, walnuts or sweet cheese. The intense mouth-puckering sweetness of warbat pairs perfectly with a cup of strong Arabic coffee. While originating in Jordan, variations of this pastry can be found throughout the Middle East, particularly during festive occasions and holidays like Ramadan or Eid.