Om Ali, Omali, Umm Ali, or Oumm Ali ( arz, أم على), meaning "Mother of Ali", is a traditional

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

ian dessert, and is a national dessert of

. There are numerous variations with different composition. The dish, which is traced back to the early years of Egypt's Mamluk era, is named after the wife of the

Sultan of Egypt Sultan of Egypt was the status held by the rulers of Egypt after the establishment of the Ayyubid dynasty of Saladin in 1174 until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. Though the extent of the Egyptian Sultanate ebbed and flowed, it generally i ...

who asked her cooks to come up with the most delicious dessert that they could create. The chosen recipe was distributed throughout the country, and became a national dish of Egypt.

History

The Egyptian dessert is said to have originated as a celebration of the death of

Shajar al-Durr Shajar al-Durr ( ar, شجر الدر, lit=Tree of Pearls), also Shajarat al-Durr (), whose royal name was al-Malika ʿAṣmat ad-Dīn ʾUmm-Khalīl Shajar ad-Durr (; from her nickname , 'mother of Khalil'; died 28 April 1257), was a ruler of Eg ...

, who had been married to Egypt's final Sultan from the

Ayyubid dynasty The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni ...

, As-Salih, and subsequently to the first of Egypt's Mamluk Sultans, Izz al-Din Aybak. Shajar al-Durr plotted the murder of Aybak, after which she became ruler of Egypt. Ultimately, she was herself killed in retribution, whereafter Aybak's first wife, who was known as Om Ali, asked to have a dessert prepared in celebration. The dessert was popularised throughout the country, and was named after Om Ali.

Recipe

Typically, pastry (bread, pastry or puff pastry) is divided into pieces and blended with

pistachio The pistachio (, ''Pistacia vera''), a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. ''Pistacia vera'' is often confused with other sp ...

s, coconut flakes,

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the d ...

s and plenty of sugar. Milk, sometimes with cream, is poured over the mixture, which is then sprinkled with

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

. Finally, the mixture is baked in the oven until the surface is golden brown. It may be eaten hot or cold. There are another Jordanian and Iraqi different variants known as "''khumaiaa''". The dish may be compared to

bread and butter pudding Bread and butter pudding is a traditional bread pudding in British cuisine. Slices of buttered bread scattered with raisins are layered in an oven dish, covered with an egg custard mixture seasoned with nutmeg, vanilla, or other spices, then bak ...

, albeit that the latter also includes eggs.

References

{{Cuisine of Egypt, state=expanded Egyptian cuisine Puddings Milk dishes Arab desserts