19 Traditional Middle Eastern Desserts You Must Try at Once

Maamoul

Maamoul is a date-filled Hygienic cookie in middle eastern countries. It is ready to serve at the end of Ramadan (the holy festival of Muslims worldwide) to celebrate with friends & family. In addition, Christians in the middle eastern countries prepare this arab dessert at the time of Easter celebrations. Thus, Maamoul is an authentic and healthy festival-time middle eastern sweet snack made in traditional ways. The preparations take around a day to make this delicious middle eastern dessert. The ingredients used to prepare this middle eastern sweet includes Pure Medool (Original Dates), All type purpose flour, Cornstarch, Pistachios, Rosewater, Cinnamon powder, Sugar, baking soda. Maamoul arab dessert has three types of fillings, Date fillings , Walnut fillings , and Pistachios fillings . Most of the dessert shops in the Middle eastern countries have Maamoul on their Menu !!

Arabian Baklava

Arabian Baklava is the most popular Arab dessert in middle eastern countries such as Iraq, Turkey, and Arabian. This delightful middle eastern dessert is originated in the time of the ancient Ottoman Period. The preparation of middle eastern sweet baklava starts by adding sugar, honey, and water mix well until it becomes a syrup. Then, add Cinnamon powder, Almonds, Nuts, Pistachio, Walnut, Powdered Sugar, and Butter for the stuffing inside the baklava.  Can store up this delicious Arabian baklava for ten days. Baklava is an Arab veggie sweet with rich nutrients.

Rahat Lokum

Rahat Lokum is originated from a village in Turkey named Bahcekapi. This Turkish dish is more prevalent in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia, Kuwait, and other Middle Eastern countries. Rahat Lokum is Kids friendly middle eastern sweet. Rahat Lokum contains Sugar syrup, Corn starch, Pistachios, Dates, and Nuts.Rahat Lokum middle eastern dessert is preparation starts by adding sugar syrup with corn starch and squeed with lemon. The dough is mix well with sugar syrup and rosewater, orange blossoms, food color essence, and leave it cool until it tightens.

Kunafeh

Kunafeh, Kunafa, Kunafesh, or Konafi is the most famous Arab sweet in middle eastern countries such as Levant, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Palestinian. Kunafeh’s main ingredient is cheese. Kunafeh contains sugar syrup, Kanafah dough, Milk, Ghee or butter, rosewater, cheese, and pistachios. Kunafeh preparation starts using butter applied in the frying pan and mixes it well with Kanafah dough until it gets soft. Then the cheese is apply to the top of the kunafah dough and heat until it gets golden brown color. After few mins of cool down, add pistachios and sugar syrup to the top of the Kunafeh to make it Yummy Yummy !!!

Qatayef

Qatayef, Katayef or qata” if is the middle eastern dessert made in the month of holy Ramadan.This Arabic dessert origin, dates backs to 1258 CE. Consequently, it was mentioned in the ancient cooking book of Arabs. Now let’s see the preparation of this delicious middle eastern sweet. It contains All purpose flour, Semolina, Baking powder, Milk Powder, Milk, Yeast, Sugar, Dates, Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Pistachios, Rosewater, and Cinnamon powder are mix well in a container with warm water and whisps until it without lump heads. After a few minutes, the sugar syrup is add to the top of the dish and heated until thick. That’s it !!

Nammoura

Nammoura, Basbousa, Hrisi, or Semolina cake is a tasty Arabic dessert using semolina. Although Nammoura is a more common dessert in Egypt, it has various names in different countries in the middle eastern.The Nammoura cake recipe includes semolina, fine semolina, butter, Almonds, baking soda, baking powder, yogurt, and sugar syrup made using lemon and rosewater. Semolina cake is baked with all the above ingredients. The final touch is given with honey pour on top of the semolina. Don’t forget to taste this semolina cake on your Arab trip !!

Bilbol or Bird Nest

Bilbol Nest or bird’s nest is arab dessert a must-try arabic sweet in middle eastern countries. It is known as Bird’s nest Baklava. Bilbol Arab sweet contains the curly strings of Knafek dough. The Place of origin is Syria. The bilbol nest baklava prepration by using dry knafeh dough shortened by 6 inches short, then pasted with butter and rolled in two fingers to the shape of a bird’s nest. Then the rolled knafeh dough is bake for around an hour and added with Sugar syrup, Cashew, Pistachios. Bilbol nest or bird’s nest arabic sweet is the smallest in the middle eastern countries and more popular among kids.

Balloria Baklava

Balloria Baklava is a middle eastern dessert with butter or ghee, kunafa dough, and pistachios, The preparation of this balloria baklava starts with adding butter to the kunafa dough. Conversely, pistachios are mix with other nuts to make inside stuffing to prepare these delicious middle eastern dessert. The Kunafah dough is spread in the box with the coatings of butter, and pistachios are bulged with kunafa dough and baked until it turs golden brown color. Then finally, in the top of the Balloria Baklava, added the sugar syrup.

Boukaj Baklawa

Boukaj Baklawa is a famous Lebanese dessert with nuts, cardamom, sugar syrup, orange water, butter, walnuts, pistachios, and cinnamon powder. It’s a perfect evening snack item.The preparation of this Boukaj Baklawa is done in three different stages. Stage 1 is preparing the sugar syrup with lemon, and orange juice is stir in a bowl until it gets thick. Stage 2, all-purpose dough is mix well with butter and milk powder . Stage 3, For fillings, pistachios, nuts, almonds, cashew grinded with sugar syrup and bulged in the dough. Let the dough be bake for around 20 mins to taste this delicious Boukal Baklawa.

Kol-W-Shkor

Kol-W-Shkor is the traditional middle eastern sweet of Syria. It contains Knafah dough, pistachios, sugar syrup,  available in most middle eastern countries globally. This flaky and famous dessert contains dough, butter and topped with pistachios and sugar syrup. It is also known as Baklava Nuts, made with Pistachios. Its taste splendid, along with Tea. The ingredients used to prepare this sweet are Pistachio, Flour, Cornstarch, Sugar, Ghee, Vegetable Oil, and Soy Flour.

Basbousa

Basbousa, also called haresh, revani. Originated at the time of the Ottoman period and most popular in Egypt and Turkey. Basbousa , the famous middle eastern dessert contains mainly semolina. The preparation starts with adding semolina, yogurt, honey, sugar, ghee, baking powder, almonds, shredded coconut, and milk. Semolina is mix with butter or ghee and blends until it comes without lumps, and then coconut powder, milk, vanilla essence is blend in it too. On the other side, sugar syrup is prepare with the usual formula and pour on top of the baked Basbousa.

Balah El sham

Balah El sham, also known as Turkish Tulumba, is the Ovid-shaped sweet traditionally famous in Iran. It originates from the ancient Ottoman empire period. Tulumba is mostly prepare at the Iftar party . Balah, the middle eastern dessert, is prepare using dough, sugar syrup, semolina, starch, eggs. The ingredients are mix well until it becomes thick paste. Then the dough is filled in the piping bag. The mixed dough is fry in a pan with oil and dipped in the sugar syrup for about 2 minutes.

Sfouf

Sfouf is a simple light sweet vegetarian semolina turmeric cake primarily famous in the middle eastern countries. Most of the bakery and pastry shops in the Arab world include Sfouf in their menu.Sfouf is a veggie dessert. Sfouf is prepare with semolina, flour, butter with turmeric. The yellow color comes from turmeric presence. Sfouf is prepare using all the ingredients and bake for around 30 minutes.

Barazek

Barazek is an middle eastern dessert most popular middle eastern cookies with sweet sesame toppings and sparkled with lots of pistachios. Traditional barazek sweet is bak with sugar and Ghee. It gives a light and crispy texture. A perfect sweet for an evening snack item. Barazek is prepare using all-purpose dough and Ghee mix well until it gets smooth batter and refrigerates for about 30 mins. Then the sugar syrup is prepare using sugar, lemon juice. Now the dough is pour with sugar syrup and kept again in the freezer for about 30 mins, and the roasted sesame is mixed well with sugar syrup and sprinkled with pistachios, sesame seeds added to the dough.

Ghorayeba

Ghorayeba is a famous middle eastern dessert prepare with Unsalted Butter, All-purpose dough. The ingredients are whisked until they become creamy flavor and add with sugar powder. Ghaorayebah is prepare using all-purpose dough refrigerated for about 30 mins after adding the unsalted Butter. Then the cooled dough is cut into small pieces with pistachios as toppings and again bake for around 30 minutes. Finally, the short baked cookies are ready to eat with Spiced Tea.

Phenni or Pheni

Phenni is a crispy layered arab dessert dish. It is prepare using all-purpose dough, salt, ghee, and sugar syrup.The preparation started with all-purpose dough added with ghee and a little salt and kept aside until it became softy. On the other side, ghee is add with flour and pasted in the soft flattened dough and rip into nine pieces, and rolled.Then it is fry in the oil with medium heat until it comes golden brown color. Finally, the dough is dip inside the sugar syrup for about 2 to 3 minutes before eating.

Elephant Ear Dessert

Gosh-e-feel, also known as Elephant Ear dessert, is specially prepare at the time of EID celebrations to enjoy with family and friends together. It is most popular in middle eastern countries, especially in Afghanistan. Elephant ear sweet is prepare by adding eggs, milk, vegetable oil and baking powder, salt, and all-purpose dough. The ingredients are mix well until it becomes softy. Then the softy dough is flattened and cut into four pieces. Each piece is pinch from one side to make the shape like an elephant ear and fried in the oil at medium heat !!

Petite Four

Petite Four is an Egyptian Cookie available in most of the pastry stores in the middle eastern arab world. The Petite four contains four biscuits with flavors such as Chocolate, Honey, Caramel, and Pistachios. The Ingredients used to make this petite four are Unsalted Butter, Sugar, Vanilla extract, Vanilla Sugar, Egg, Cocoa Powder, and all-purpose dough. The Ingredients are mix well and bake for around 3 minutes, then coated with different flavors to enjoy the aromatic middle eastern dessert !!! Children love this arab sweet petite four.

FAQ’s