Arabic & Levantine Pantry Guide
Ramadan sweets: classic desserts served after iftar
Evenings during Ramadan are marked by traditional Arabic sweets served with tea or coffee after iftar, led by qatayef, kunafa, baklava, basbousa and chilled muhallabia. Most rely on kataifi pastry, filo sheets or semolina paired with clotted cream, nuts and blossom-scented sugar syrup.
Qatayef, kunafa and cheese sweets
Qatayef is the signature dessert of the month across the Levant and Egypt: small pancakes cooked on one side only, folded around walnuts and cinnamon, sweet cheese or thick qishta cream. They are either sealed and baked or fried before being dipped in cold syrup, or pinched half-closed as qatayef asafiri with fresh cream and crushed pistachios. Kunafa is baked from shredded kataifi dough or fine semolina layered with ghee and melted akkawi cheese or cream. Another Levantine favourite is halawet el jibn, soft sweet cheese dough rolled around qishta.
Baklava, basbousa and milk puddings
Crisp baklava made with thin filo pastry, clarified butter and pistachios or walnuts keeps well in a tin for days and is a staple when hosting guests. Home bakers also turn out semolina cakes like basbousa, golden syrup-soaked awama fritters and warm umm ali bread pudding. For a lighter finish late at night, families chill bowls of muhallabia scented with mastic, rose water or orange blossom water.
