Qatayef or katayef or qata'if ( ar, قطايف, ), is an Arab dessert commonly served during the month of

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

, a sort of sweet

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fi ...

filled with cream or nuts. It can be described as a folded pancake, similar to a Scottish crumpet.

Etymology

The

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

word ''qaṭaːyif'' ( ar, قطايف) is derived from the Arabic root ''q-ṭ-f'', meaning to pick up or to pluck.

Origin

Qatayef is believed to be of Fatimid origin. Some believe that qatayef are the creation of the Fatimid Dynasty, however, their history dates back to the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

, 750-1258 CE. Qatayef was mentioned in a tenth century Arabic cookbook dates back to the

by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq called ''Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ'' ( ar, كتاب الطبيخ, ''The Book of Dishes''). The book was later translated by Nawal Nasrallah under the name ''Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens''. The traditional stuffing of Qatayef as evident in a number of Medieval Arabic cookbooks is crushed almond and sugar, once the pancake was stuffed, it would somtimes be fried in walnut oil or baked in the oven. Qatayef was traditionally prepared by street vendors as well as households in

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 ...

and the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...

. It is usually filled with

akkawi Akkawi cheese ( ar, جبنة عكاوي, jubna ʿakkāwī, also Akawi, Akawieh and Ackawi) is a white brine cheese named after the city of Akka (Acre, present-day Israel). Etymology Akkawi cheese is named after the port city of Akka ( ar, عك� ...

cheese, crushed walnuts, as well as crushed pistachios. Diverse fillings, such as Nutella, are also used.

Preparation

Qatayef is the general name of the dessert as a whole and, more specifically, the

batter Batter or batters may refer to: Common meanings * Batter (cooking), thin dough that can be easily poured into a pan * Batter (baseball), person whose turn it is to face the pitcher * Batter (cricket), a player who is currently batting * Batter ...

. It is usually made out of flour, baking powder, water, yeast, and sometimes sugar. The result of the batter being poured onto a round hot plate appears similar to pancakes, except only one side is cooked, then stuffed and folded. The pastry is filled with either unsalted sweet cheese a mixture of any of hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, raisins, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, rose extract (ma-zahr ماء الزهر), and cinnamon. It is then deep fried or, less commonly, baked and served with a hot sweet syrup or sometimes honey. Another way of serving qatayef is by filling it with whipped cream or ''

qishta ''Qishta'' ( ar, قِشْطَة, qišṭa, ), also known as ''kishta'', ''kashta '', ''ghishta'', or ''ashta'', is a dairy coagulated milk product prepared from heated fresh milk and consumed as a dessert. It is sometimes scented with orange flo ...

'' (قشطة), folding it halfway, and serving it with scented syrup without frying or baking. This way of serving is called ''assafiri qatayef'' (قطايف عصافيري).

Customs

''Qatayef'' is a popular ''

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...

'' that is usually prepared during Ramadan.

References

{{Cuisine of the Levant Arab desserts Dumplings Egyptian cuisine Iraqi cuisine Jordanian cuisine Levantine cuisine Lebanese cuisine Palestinian cuisine Syrian cuisine Stuffed desserts Iftar foods Deep fried foods Middle Eastern cuisine

Etymology

Origin

Preparation

Customs

See also

References