Arabic sweets

Arabic sweets

Arabs are famous for many types of Arabic sweets, especially oriental sweets and western sweets. Where eastern sweets are meant for the Levant, as they are located in the east of the Arab world. While Western sweets include the countries of Morocco, due to the presence of many types and shapes, which are characterized by a wonderful taste. So, in this article, we will tell you the best unparalleled oriental sweets.

What are the eastern Arabic sweets?

They are also called Levantine sweets, as most of them had their origin in the Levant and Syria in particular. In addition, it is one of the wonderful dishes and is famous for its craftsmanship. It is also characterized by the diversity of its ingredients, as well as the presence of nuts that give a distinctive taste to oriental and exotic dishes with pistachio nuts, the most famous of which is baklava with pistachio nuts. Among the most famous Levantine sweets are all kinds of kunafa, al-Haitaliyeh, al-Awama, and Maamoul, in addition to basbousa and Qatayef.

Syrian baklava with pistachio Arabic sweets

Ingredients for baklava with Syrian pistachio

• Dough (450 g)
• Nuts (walnuts or pistachios) (1 pound)
• Butter (1 cup)
• ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
• Water (1 cup)
• White sugar (1 cup)
• liquid vanilla (1 teaspoon)
• Honey (1/2 cup)

How to prepare Syrian baklava with pistachio?

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish with butter.
• Finely chop the nuts, and then mix them with cinnamon and set aside.
• Cut the phyllo dough from the middle until it fits its Chinese shape.
• Put two sheets of dough in the tray and grease them with butter.
• Repeat the process until we have 8 layers of chips.
• Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of the nuts mixture over them.
• Put two sheets of dough and then grease them with butter.
• Put the nuts and finally a layer of 6 to 8 chips greased with butter.
• Cut the baklava using a sharp knife and then bake it in the oven for 50 minutes until it acquires a golden color and becomes crunchy.
• Meanwhile, we prepare syrup or syrup and boil the water and sugar until it dissolves.
• Then, add the vanilla and honey and leave the ingredients on low heat for 20 minutes.
• Take the baklava out of the oven and immediately pour the cold syrup over it to absorb it.
• Finally, leave it aside until it cools well and is ready to be served.

The Shami Konafa Arabic sweets

Konafa is one of the most famous Arabic sweets that characterize Arab cuisine, and it has many forms that vary depending on the country in which it is attended. It is in the form of single pieces

Ingredients of the Shami Konafa Arabic sweets

• Ready-made kunafa dough (200 g)
• liquid milk (1 Cup)
• Ghee
• Flour (2 tablespoons)
• Corn flour (starch) (2 tablespoons)
• Ready-made cream (1/2 cup)
• Rose water (1/2 a tablespoon)
• Pistachio nuts (50 g)

How to prepare Shami kunafa Arabic sweets?

1. Put the milk in a saucepan, and then put it on medium heat.
2. Add sugar, flour, starch, and also cream.
3. Start stirring the ingredients until you get a thick mixture.
4. Remove the mixture from the heat, and also add the blossom water, and pistachios, and leave it to cool a little.
5. Heat the ghee on low heat until it melts then spread the kunafa sticks with it.
6. Put an amount of the filling of the cream on the tip of the kunafa, making sure that it matches its length and width.
7. Roll the strand until it becomes a ball.
8. Repeat the previous two steps until the quantities of kunafa and filling are used up.
9. Fry the stuffed kunafa in a small amount of oil, until it acquires a blonde color.

Shami harissa

Shami harissa ingredients

• Medium-fine semolina (500g 3 cups)
• Melted butter (50g-¼ cup)Sugar 100 g (1/2 cup)
• Powdered milk (2 tablespoons)
• Baking powder (3/4 teaspoon)
• Slightly warm water (250ml-1 cup)
• Tahini (1 tablespoon)
• Chopped and boiled pistachios (50g-1¼ cup)
• Sugar (420g-2 cups)
• Water (375ml-1½ cups)
• lemon juice (1 tablespoon)

Steps to prepare Shami harissa

1. Boil the sugar and water and stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Add then the lemon juice, stir and then continue boiling for 2 minutes.
3. Mix the semolina with sugar, baking powder, and powdered milk, and rub the ingredients with your hands until they are completely mixed.
4. Add butter and syrup and continue rubbing until fully mixed.
5. Add the water and mix with your hands until completely mixed, taking care not to do the scrubbing process.
6. Grease the oven tray with tahini, using a brush.
7. Distribute the mixture in the bowl and make sure its surface is level and that it is 2 cm thick.
8. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it rest for 4-6 hours at room temperature.
9. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
10. Spread the pistachios on the surface of the harissa and press it a little.
11. Bake the harissa for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven.
12. After 13 minutes of baking time, cut the harissa into lozenges, then return it to the oven and continue baking.
13. Pour 4 scoops of hot syrup onto the surface of the harissa as soon as it comes out of the oven, then let it cool before serving.

Western Arabic sweets

The Maghreb is famous for its different kinds of sweets, very different from oriental sweets. It is famous for its delicious taste, which is in line with the traditions of the Arab Maghreb, especially in Tunisia and Morocco, such as Kaab el Ghazal Faqs, Ghoraiba, and Moroccan sweet slaw. Tunisia is also famous for its distinctive dishes such as snail candy, cokage or dough Almonds, cakes, tarboosh, the famous Tunisian yo-yo, mashesh…etc.

kaab el ghazal Arabic sweets

Ingredients of Kaab Al-Ghazal candy

Dough:

• Flour (2 cups)
• Liquid butter (1 cup)
• Rose water (1/2 a cup)
• Sugar (2 tablespoons)
• Mastic (1/4 of a tablespoon)
• Water
• Salt

Filling:

• almonds, peeled and toasted (1/2Kg)
• Sugar (2 cups)
• Liquid butter (1/2 a cup)
• Blossom water (1/2 a cup)
• Quarter large hanging mastic

Steps to prepare kaab el ghazal candy

1. Put the flour in a bowl, add the sugar and salt, and mix well.
2. Add the butter, and stir well until we get a semi-crunchy dough.
3. Add the blossom water, knead it by hand, then add the water little by little while continuing to knead until we get a soft and cohesive dough.
4. Divide the dough into medium-sized balls, cover with a nylon bag, and leave to rest for at least an hour.
5. Put the almonds in the kibbeh, and add sugar, mastic, liquid butter, and blossom water.
6. Grind well until we get a very smooth mixture.
7. Form the almond mixture for medium-sized fingers.
8. Take one ball of dough, and roll it out using a rolling pin to get a very thin longitudinal strip
9. Place the almond stick about 3 cm from the edge of the dough, and cover with it.
10. Cut the stuffed part using the slicer.
11. Press it with your fingertips to become a crescent shape.
12. Stack Kaab El Ghazal in a greased tray.
13. We make small holes in the units of the heel of the gazelle so that it does not increase in size.
14. Leave it overnight to dry before baking it.
15. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
16. Place the tray in it for 15 minutes, until it becomes soft.
17. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.
18. Put on the plate, and serve.

Vanilla snail candy Arabic sweets

Ingredients of Vanilla snail candy

• Cocoa powder (1 tablespoon)
• Egg (1 pc)
• Salt (1g)
• Baking powder (2g)
• Vanilla (1 teaspoon)
• Wheat flour (190g)
• Butter (120g)
• Chocolate (60g)
• Sugar (150g)

Steps to prepare Vanilla snail candy

1. First, sift the flour with baking powder and salt.
2. With a hand mixer, beat butter with sugar until light cream.
3. Add egg extract and vanilla, blending until smooth.
4. Pour the flour mixture and mix quickly.
5. Divide the dough in half.
6. Chocolate cut into small pieces and melt in a water bath, cool slightly.
7. Pour cocoa into the chocolate mixture.
8. Add the chocolate to one part of the dough and quickly mix until one dark dough.
9. Spread the vanilla dough into a rectangle, then flatten the chocolate dough into a rectangle as well.
10. The vanilla dough should be a little longer than the chocolate.
11. Put the chocolate layer on the vanilla and roll the dough into a tight roll on the long side.
12. After rolling it into a rectangular tube, wrap it in food-grade plastic wrap, then put it in the fridge for 3 hours.
13. Preheat the oven to 175°C.
14. Cut the dough into a spiral 7 to 8 mm thick. Place on a baking tray covered with parchment paper, and bake for 9-11 minutes.
15. Cool the vanilla and chocolate snails on a baking sheet, for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Almond maqrot Arabic sweets

Ingredients of almond maqrot

• A cup of melted butter.
• water (small glass)
• Rose water (small cup)
• Fine semolina. (250 grams)
• A teaspoon of ghee.
• For the filling, a tablespoon of ground sesame.
• A tablespoon of honey for the face.
• A cup and a half of oil for frying. 400
•  Grams of pitted dates.
• A tablespoon of ground cinnamon.
• Half a cup of rose water.
• tablespoon of butter.

Steps to make almond maqrot Arabic sweets

1. Place the semolina, the fine semolina, and the butter in a medium-sized, deep dish.
2. Mix the ingredients together well until completely combined.
3. Add the ghee along with a pinch of salt, water, and rose water to the dish on top of the mixture.
4. Mix the ingredients again well.
5. To prepare the filling, put the dates, cinnamon, orange blossom water, and sesame into the bowl of the electric mixer.
6. Then turn on the electric mixer on medium speed, until the ingredients are well combined, and until a smooth mixture is formed.
7. Keep mixing the ingredients in the mixer until a homogeneous paste is formed.
8. Form the dough with your hands into long fingers.
9. Roll the dough out over a dry, hard surface, then stretch it lengthwise, making a hole in the middle with your hands.
10. Stretch the date dough completely in the middle, so that it covers it completely, then close the dough around it so that it covers the filling well and until it forms a roll.
11. Press the dough well with your hands. With a sharp knife, cut it into medium pieces.
12. then leave the dough on one side to cool off.
13. Heat a large amount of oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then put the maqrout dough inside the hot oil.
14. Turn it on both sides with a spoon so that it is evenly browned on all sides.
15. The dough is removed from the abundant oil, then dipped in honey completely.
16. Put it inside the honey and then serve it.

In conclusion, Arabic sweets are one of the main characteristics of Arab countries as it reflects their culture and traditions.