A Middle Eastern sweet for cheese fans
Sure, cheesecake is delicious, but with its biscuit base, sugary filling and decadent toppings, the namesake ingredient is hardly the star of the show. Enter kunafa, the Middle Eastern dessert that is a must-try for true cheese lovers.
The dish
Kunafa – which goes by many names, including knafeh, kenefeh and konafa – can be found all over the Middle East. Like the spelling, ingredients vary, and the question of who came up with the dish first is a hotly debated topic.
But arguably the most well-known version of the dessert originated in Palestine, specifically the West Bank city of Nablus. It is famous for producing a white brined cheese known as nabulsi cheese, which becomes soft and elastic when heated.
To make kunafa, a semolina-based dough is spread on a pan over a burner, and the cheese is crumbled on top. Once the dough has become golden and crisp, and the cheese has melted into a gooey mound, the dessert is flipped over, then soaked in a fragrant syrup flavoured with rose water or orange blossom. It is usually garnished with ground pistachios.
In other places, a different cheese might be used to recreate this style – most commonly akkawi, another white brine Middle Eastern cheese, but where it is not available, mozzarella works well. Shredded filo pastry is also often used in place of semolina dough.
The overall effect is the same – a mouthwatering contrast of flavours and textures, from the languorously soft and stretchy, slightly salty cheese, to the crispy dough and nuts, united under that sweet syrup.
Try it overseas
The highlight of my trip to Petra, in Jordan, wasn’t watching the sun rise over the ancient city, transforming the cliff faces into that distinctive shade of rose red.
No, my most memorable moment was sitting outside a bakery at Wadi Musa, the gateway town to Petra, and eating a freshly made kunafa.
At this particular bakery, it was cooked right before us on a charcoal grill, with individual portions served in little round foil trays.
Kunafa is served in bakeries, restaurants and homes in all Middle Eastern countries, so you will almost certainly come across it travelling in the region. It’s enjoyed year-round, but is particularly popular during Ramadan. It is a favoured dessert at iftar, the sunset meal that breaks the fast.
If you stop in Dubai, I recommend booking a food tour with Frying Pan Adventures. It offers a Middle Eastern Food Pilgrimage through the city’s old quarter that includes a kunafa stop at a Palestinian-Jordanian restaurant.
Try it here
In Auckland, you can try it at Ima Cuisine, the Fort St institution run by Israel-born chef Yael Shochat, who serves authentic Middle Eastern dishes.