Tracing The Origins Of Kunafa, The Popular Middle Eastern Dessert

Written by Yash Lakhan | March 14, 2024

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 perfect for grand celebrations, but you can also make this whenever you feel like following the Kunafa recipe because it is so delicious. So, before we get into the kunafa origin, let's learn what exactly this dessert is all about.

What Is Kunafa?

Kunafa is a sugar-soaked pastry popular in many Arab nations and one of the most beloved and loved Middle Eastern desserts. 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'.

However, the kunafa origin has been contested by Israel, who 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 kunafa origin root word is '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.

What Is Kunafa Made Of?

The popular Middle Eastern dessert is made with a crispy, shredded pastry called kataifi or kunafa dough. It is a special pastry dough made from delicate shredded phyllo strands. Once prepared, the phyllo dough is assembled into nests and brushed with butter. Curious about how to make Kunafa at home? Here’s the Kunafa recipe.

Step 1: In this recipe, the kataifi dough forms the base of the dessert, which is soaked in butter or ghee before baking. Traditionally, ghee is used for this Kunafa recipe. Experts mostly recommend ghee owing to its flavor and richness.

Step 2: Once the base is ready, it is filled with a sweet, soft cheese or cream and baked until golden.

Step 3: Next, the baked Kunafa is soaked in a sweet sugar syrup. Often, a variation of taste is added to the sweet and buttery dessert with some rosewater.

Step 4:For garnishing, chopped pistachios and other nuts are used, which lend a crunchy texture to it.

Different Names of Kunafa Across Regions

Kunafa is popular across the Levant, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans. And, the name of the dessert also varies slightly across the Middle Eastern region. While the variations often sound similar, there are differences in spellings and dialects.

Along with the names, the recipes also see regional variations, while the core remains the same. The regional variation often highlights different preparation methods. Usually, the variations come from certain specific local ingredients used in the Kunafa recipe, such as the use of local cheese or unique spices.

Here’s the list of names and variations of Kunafa popular across different regions of the Middle East.

1. Kunafa/Kunafah/Kunafeh: This name is popular in the General Middle East and Arab world. Alternatively, it is also spelled as Kinafa or Konafi.
2. Knafeh / Kanafeh / Kanafah: This name is common in the Levant region, particularly in Palestine and Lebanon.
3. Künefe: In Turkey, Kunafa is identified as Künefe (Particularly in the Hatay Province)
4. Kanafi: Greek people love calling it Kanafi.

What pan to bake kunafa in?

If curious about how to make Kunafa, it is important to know about the ideal baking pan for that perfect Kunafa. Ideally, Kunfa is baked in regular baking pans or springform pans. A muffin tin is often used in case of individual servings. For that perfect oven baking, the ideal options are a 9-inch round baking pan, a 9x13-inch rectangular pan, or a springform pan. Rectangular pans are often useful for baking larger batches of Kunafa. Pie pans are often used as an alternative option for oven-baked Kunfas.

Besides oven baking, Kunafa can be prepared by stovetop cooking as well. For that, traditional aluminum Kunafa plates are often used. The shallow, shallow, round pans are particularly designed for this method of cooking. Alternatively, regular non-stick, thick-based frying pans can be used as well. Oven-safe skillets are another alternative option for making Kunafa on the stove.

Conclusion: Middle Eastern delicacies have a separate fan base across the globe. Credit goes to their unique flavors and textures. While Kunafa is indeed one of the popular choices, the other names are Baklava, Basbousa, Ma’amoul, and so on. Sometimes, confusion may arise while searching for the right one. However, the texture and appearance of Kunafa clearly mark the difference between Kunafa and Baklava.