Original article published at TasteAtlas.
Of all the delicious traditional Egyptian Ramadan desserts in existence, kunāfah is said to be the queen. Some authors speculate that it originated from the pre-Islamic Syria, while others claim that the Palestinian city of Nablus is its birthplace – hence the name kanafeh nabulsieh.
Nevertheless, this decadent dessert has been a part of a long culinary tradition going back all the way to ancient Egypt, and so today, kunāfah is listed as one of Egypt’s national dishes. It is made of two crunchy layers of shredded and buttered kataifi or knefe dough, filled with a luscious cheese cream often flavored with orange zest and cardamom, then drenched in a sugar syrup infused with lemon juice and orange blossom water.
Elegant and amazingly simple to make, Egyptian kunāfah is nothing short of what cheese-filled pastry dreams are made of.