Knafeh
Knafeh traces back to the city of Nablus, in the wider Bilad al-Sham region that once linked Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan under shared culinary traditions, and Lebanese versions of the dessert still lean on that Nablus style, using akkawi cheese rather than the shredded pastry dough (kataifi) more common further north. Some food historians trace its roots even earlier, to Ayyubid-era physicians who are said to have recommended a version of it as a pre-dawn meal during Ramadan because it was thought to keep hunger at bay. In Lebanon it is treated as a breakfast food as much as a dessert, eaten stuffed into sesame bread on the way to work rather than saved for the end of a meal, a habit that surprises visitors used to seeing it served only after dinner. Its cheese layer is chosen specifically for being mild and non-melting, since a sharper or oilier cheese would compete with the syrup instead of simply providing the stretch that Knafeh is famous for.
Stretchy cheese under a crisp top
A layer of mild, non-melting cheese sits between two layers of semolina or shredded pastry dough, so the first cut reveals long, stretchy strands rather than a firm filling.
Dyed orange with a pinch of food coloring
Traditional Knafeh gets its bright orange top not from an ingredient but from a small amount of food coloring stirred into the semolina layer before baking.
Drenched in syrup the moment it leaves the oven
Cold sugar syrup, scented with orange blossom or rose water, is poured over the pastry straight out of the oven, so it soaks in while everything is still hot.
Finished with crushed pistachios
A generous scatter of ground pistachios over the syrup-soaked top adds both color and crunch, and is considered essential rather than optional.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 500g fine semolina (or coarse semolina for a knafeh-dough style, ground fine)
- 400g akkawi or mozzarella cheese, desalted and shredded
- 200g unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp orange food coloring (optional)
- 2 cups (400g) sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp orange blossom water
- 1/2 cup (60g) crushed pistachios, for garnish
How to make it
- 1Start the syrup first: combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer for 8 minutes before stirring in the orange blossom water and setting it aside to cool completely.
- 2If using mozzarella, soak it in cold water for a few hours beforehand to draw out excess salt, then drain well.
- 3Mix the semolina with the melted butter and a touch of food coloring until it looks like damp, golden sand.
- 4Press half of the semolina mixture firmly into the base of a greased round pan, spread the cheese evenly over it, then cover with the remaining semolina, pressing down so the layers hold together.
- 5Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for about 35 minutes, until the top turns a deep golden orange.
- 6As soon as it comes out of the oven, pour the cold syrup evenly over the hot pastry so you can hear it sizzle.
- 7Let it rest for 10 minutes to absorb the syrup, then scatter crushed pistachios over the top and invert or slice while still warm, so the cheese pulls into strands.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
