MAIN INGREDIENTS
Kunāfah consists of two crunchy layers of shredded and buttered kataifi or knefe dough, filled with a luscious cheese cream that's often flavored with orange zest and cardamom, then drenched in a sugar syrup infused with lemon juice and orange blossom water.
Turkish künefe is traditionally made with Hatay, Urfa, or Antep cheese. It is usually topped with pistachios and is best served warm. Elegant and amazingly simple to make, this dessert is nothing short of what cheese-filled pastry dreams are made of.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Ma'moul bil jibn is a delicious treat made from fine dough filled with a mixture of akkawi cheese and grated mozzarella, giving it a rich flavor and a smooth texture. It is shaped into small discs and baked until golden brown, then topped with powdered sugar, and sometimes garnished with crushed pistachios for added flavor.
These sweet cheese rolls are a typical dessert commonly associated with Levantine and Arab countries, though it is believed they originated in the city of Hama in Syria. The dessert is made with a combination of semolina, water, rose water, sugar, and cheese - traditionally Akkawi or Majdoola cheese, though modern variations often replace it with the widely available mozzarella.
All ingredients are combined and heated until they form a soft, pliable dough which is then rolled into thin sheets. The filling is made with ashta—thick clotted cream—which is piped before the sheets are rolled into thin logs.
The rolls are then sliced into small bite-size pieces and are typically served drizzled with syrup and garnished with rose petal jam and ground pistachios.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 3 Syrian Cheese Desserts” list until March 21, 2025, 2,380 ratings were recorded, of which 390 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.