Tracing The Origins Of Kunafa, The Popular Middle Eastern Dessert

Desserts are easily the most luxurious part of any cuisine around the world. Every culture or demographic has its own desserts that make it special and different from the others. Middle Eastern cuisine is also famous for its sweet dishes and kunafa is one of them. It is also known as knafeh popularly. This lovely dessert is not only a treat for your taste buds but also for your eyes. It resembles a pizza while also featuring a beautiful cheese or creamy pull depending on what is used for its filling.

You simply cannot go wrong with this dessert and it is something that is perfect for grand celebrations but you can also make this whenever you feel like it because it is so delicious. So before, we get into the history of kunafa, let's learn what exactly this dessert is all about.

What Is Kunafa?

Kunafa is a sugar-soaked pastry popular in many Arabic nations. Though the specific preparation and spelling of the word vary by area, most kunafas are stacked or filled with either cheese or cream, then steeped in a sugar syrup perfumed with rose water or orange blossom water and topped with crushed nuts such as pistachios.

The dessert is typically made with kataifi, which are long, thin strands of shredded phyllo dough. In reality, the term kunafa is used to designate both the dessert and the dough. The dough is frequently fried or cooked till crisp using butter or oil. In certain versions, the kunafa is created with a thick, cake-like semolina dough rather than flour.

The History Of Kunafa

Nablus, a Palestinian city in modern-day West Bank, is unquestionably the origin of knafeh. Indeed, Nablus holds the Guinness World Record for the largest knafeh ever created (74 meters long and 1.05 meters broad). Some accounts claim it dates back to the Umayyad period when it was eaten as a full suhoor meal (the morning meal before fasting for Ramadan begins) in Damascus, while others claim it originated in 15th-century Egypt.  

Popular in the Arab world, particularly the Levant, Egypt, and, of course, Palestine, other varieties of knafeh can also be found in Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans.

The sweet dish, prepared of vermicelli-like dough soaked in sugar syrup, covered with soft cheese, sprinkled with rosewater or orange blossom, and topped with pistachios, has a long history that predates the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Nablus, being 30 miles from Jerusalem, cooks up a brilliant orange variation of knafeh with a local white cheese called 'jibneh Nabulsi'.

Israel has claimed knafeh as its own, without acknowledging Palestine for its development, causing many difficulties.

Despite its proclivity to incite disagreement, knafeh is also viewed as a symbol of goodwill once a conflict has been resolved and is prepared to assist in coping with loss when someone has died, as well as during happy times when someone accomplishes a significant milestone.

Knafeh comes in two varieties. 'Khishneh' has a coarser texture and is topped with shredded phyllo dough (kataifi). The other type is 'na'ameh,' which is smoother and covered with ground semolina dough (farkeh). The sort of cheese differs according to geography.

Different spellings of the word are used in different nations, including knafeh, konafa, kunefe, kenafe, knefeh, and kunafa, with the root word 'kanaf' meaning 'to shelter or protect' in Arabic. This word was most likely chosen to refer to the two layers of dough that hold the cheese between them.

Other Types Of Kunafa

People from all over the world have discovered various ways to change kunafa due to the length of time it has been prepared. As a result, there are numerous varieties. Each country or location has a unique variety of kunafa, with some supplying more than one.

Turkish Kunafa

In Turkey, the dish is known as kunefe. The pastry is made individually in small silver molds. Dil peyniri is a Turkish cheese used as one of the ingredients, as opposed to akkawi, a Palestinian cheese.

Dil peyniri is made in Turkey from unsalted milk from cows and sheep. This country's people prefer topping kunefe with kaymak, a sweet whipped cream.

Lebanese Kunafa

In Lebanon, the dessert is known as knefeh-bi-jibn. The components include mozzarella and wheat semolina steeped in syrup flavored with orange blossom.

People in Lebanon frequently eat kanafeh for breakfast, along with sesame seed kaakeh, a traditional type of bread roll.

Jordanian Kunafa

In Jordan, this pastry is known as kanafa. To give a melting, creamy, and rich texture, the dish is made with a blend of mozzarella and ricotta. People in the country like to top their bread with a mixture of raisins, nuts, and almonds.