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.
MOST ICONIC Kunāfah
This traditional Middle Eastern dessert is often enjoyed on Iftar (a fast-breaking meal) during the holy month of Ramadan. The dish is made with thin sheets of phyllo dough that are wrapped into small elongated rolls while the center is filled with ashta—Levantine version of clotted cream.
The rolls are then fried and doused in a thick sugar syrup that is often flavored with orange blossom and rose water. These crispy rolls are best served freshly prepared and are usually sprinkled with ground pistachios. Znoud el sit, with slightly different names, can be found in numerous countries, including Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, while its name translates as lady’s upper arms—supposedly because the round, elongated shape of the pastry resembles lady’s arms.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Tamr mahshi is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert that consists of stuffed dates. The dish is made by pitting dates and filling them with various ingredients such as nuts (like almonds, pistachios, or walnuts), candied fruit, or sweetened cream.
Sometimes, spices like cinnamon or cardamom are added for extra flavor. This sweet treat is popular across the Middle East, particularly during holidays and special occasions like Ramadan, where it's served as a nutritious and energy-boosting snack after breaking the fast.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
This baklava variety consists of thin phyllo sheets that are traditionally filled with walnuts, although modern varieties may employ various chopped or ground nuts. The sheets are then rolled and cut into the desired size before they are baked and doused in syrup, which can be flavored with lemon, rosewater, or orange blossom water.
Due to its oblong shape, asabi is also known as finger baklava.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Asawer is prepared with phyllo dough that is rolled and swirled to create a small, round baklava. Before it is rolled, phyllo sheets are occasionally sprinkled with ground nuts, and when baked, this round pastry is doused in rose-flavored sugar syrup, while the center is filled with ground or roughly chopped nuts such as pistachios, cashews, or pine nuts. Asawer, which translates as a bracelet, is typically associated with Lebanon.
Ashta, also known as kashta or qashta, is a variety of clotted cream mostly associated with Arab and Levantine countries. Traditionally, it is made with lightly sweetened full-fat milk and lemon juice which are slowly simmered until thick, often with the addition of orange blossom and rose water.
Modern variations sometimes avoid the lengthy procedure and thicken the milk with cornstarch or crumbled bread. Although ashta can be enjoyed as a dessert on its own, often accompanied by fruit, honey, or nuts, it is also commonly incorporated into various Middle Eastern treats such as kunāfah or qatayef.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Faysalieh is triangle-shaped baklava combining a nut filling and an outer shell that is made from thin threads of kataifi (knefe) dough. The pastry is typically filled with pistachios, but some varieties replace the nut filling with cream.
These triangular pockets are baked and then doused in sugar syrup, but should always remain crispy. They are typically associated with Lebanon.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
This baklava variety consists of chopped or ground nuts that are placed between two layers of shredded or ground kataifi (knefe) dough. The nut filling typically includes pistachios, cashews, or pine nuts, and the whole pastry is doused in sweet syrup and results in soft and moist baklava.
Basma is always served well-chilled, cut into squares, and decorated with grounds nuts. Apart from Lebanon, this baklava variety is also common in Palestine, Syria, and Jordan.
Mehalabiya is a creamy Arabian dessert, in many ways similar to the French blancmange. It is made with a mixture of milk and sugar, cooked and thickened with rice flour or cornstarch, and usually flavored with orange blossom or rose water.
While hot, it is distributed in smaller molds, left to set, and it is then served cold. This simple and satisfying dessert is eaten in slightly different forms across the Arabian Peninsula, Middle East, and North Africa. Depending on the region, it can be garnished with typical local ingredients such as pistachios, almonds, shredded coconut, cinnamon, or raisins.
VARIATIONS OF Mahalabiyeh
MAIN INGREDIENTS
This baklava variety consists of layered rectangular sheets of phyllo dough that are filled with various chopped nuts. Each corner of the dough is raised to partially enclose the filling, creating a small parcel-like treat that is then doused in butter and syrup.
Bukaj baklava is usually associated with Lebanon, and it is traditionally filled with pistachios or a combination of pine nuts and cashews. Its name stems from the Arabic bukjah—referring to an old tradition of creating a parcel from a piece of fabric.
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 18 Lebanese Desserts” list until February 13, 2025, 3,841 ratings were recorded, of which 698 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.