Arabic & Levantine Pantry Guide
Barazek: Crispy Damascene Cookies Crusted with Toasted Sesame and Pistachios
Barazek are the signature wafer-thin, ultra-crispy sesame and pistachio cookies of Damascus and the Levant. Made from a tender ghee shortbread dough, each thin disc is pressed into crushed green Aleppo pistachios on the bottom and blanketed with syrup-glazed toasted sesame seeds on top.
A Culinary Emblem of Damascus and Sidon
In the historic souks of Damascus – especially the famed pastry quarter of Al-Midan – and the coastal Lebanese city of Sidon (Saida), round tins stacked neatly with golden barazek are the ultimate edible souvenir. Every thin round delivers a three-part contrast: a delicate shortbread base enriched with ghee and a hint of mahlab, a jewel-like underside studded with slivers of green pistachio, and a deeply toasted upper crust of white sesame seeds.
The Secret Behind the Brittle, Caramelised Sesame Crust
Authentic barazek are rolled remarkably thin and bake up with a snappy, almost brittle crunch. Bakers achieve this texture by adding a spoonful of thick sugar syrup (qatr) directly into the ghee-and-flour dough, and by tossing the toasted sesame seeds with a little syrup and blossom water before pressing the dough rounds into them. In a hot oven, the syrup-coated sesame seeds fuse into a glossy, nutty brittle.
On the Eid Platter, with Afternoon Tea and Mastic Ice Cream
Alongside date-filled maamoul and snowy ghraybeh, barazek form the classic trio of Levantine holiday cookies served for Eid and family visits. They are a natural match for hot mint black tea or Arabic coffee, and in Damascus they are famously tucked beside scoops of stretchy mastic-and-cream ice cream (booza).
