Sweet Delights from a Thousand and One Nights: The Story of Traditional Arab Sweets

289 Pages·2013·9.1 MB·English

by  Habeeb Salloum

HabEEb SaLLouM is a freelance Which dessert is named after the
writer and author. He has written several heroic third-century Queen Zenobia of
books, including Arabic Contributions to Habeeb Salloum, Muna Salloum and Leila Salloum Elias Palmyra? Which luscious rice pudding
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the English Vocabulary and Journeys Back to shares its name with the eighth-century
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Arab Spain, in addition to five cookbooks o abbasid Caliph al-Ma’mun? How does
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that deal with arab cuisine. one make the perfect baqlawa? blending
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cookery with culture and recipes with

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Muna SaLLouM is a freelance writer h history, this is the fascinating and
and author. She holds an Ma in Middle ot delectable story of traditional arab
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East and Islamic Studies from the s sweets. The authors here take us on a
‘Gastronomic pleasures and serious scholarship are combined ad
university of Toronto, specializing in the n culinary journey across Iraq, Syria, Egypt
socio-economic history of the arabs in in Sweet Delights from a Thousand and One Nights, a book of de and al-andalus, presenting readers with

Spain. She is the author of The Sweets of discovery that takes us back to the world of the sweet-toothed a clear and easy-to-recreate recipes from
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Araby, co-authored by Leila Salloum Elias. medieval caliphs and their feasts and celebrations.’ d across the medieval arab world.
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Robert Irwin, author of The Arabian Nights: A Companion g
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LEILa SaLLouM ELIaS is a freelance e Filling the tables of caliphs and
writer and author. She holds an Ma in nh noblemen, these sumptuous desserts
Middle East and Islamic Studies from ig of saffron and rose water conjure the
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h sweet opulence and grandeur of the medieval
the university of Toronto, specializing
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in arabic literature in arab Spain and s Islamic world. bringing together tenth-
to fourteenth-century arabic texts, the
the story of the early arab immigrants to The
the uS. She too is the author of several Story of authors retrace the history of these sweet
Traditional delights dishes, reviving the original recipes
books, including The Sweets of Araby,
Arab
and following their development and
co-authored by Muna Salloum. Sweets
influence over the centuries into non-
H arabic-speaking lands. Honey, dates,
Habeeb, Muna and Leila have also a
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figs and pomegranates are just a few
co-authored a forthcoming book titled ae
ne
db ingredients featured in this exquisite
Medieval Delights from the Arabian Nights: L S
Recreating the Kitchen of the Medieval Arabs. eilaallo from a thousand selection of mouth-watering desserts
Sum which have been modernized for cooks
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llo, M and one nights to try at home, all woven together with
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u medieval poems and stories. From
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ISBN 978-1-78076-464-1 n
Ela S delicious pastries, filled with pistachios
iasall The Story of Traditional Arab Sweets and fragrant syrups, to luscious puddings,
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u biscuits and pies, it is the ideal addition
Jacket images: border – Medersa bou Inania, Fez, 9 781780 764641 m
Morocco (Wikimedia Commons); Wall – old yellow to any kitchen. a unique insight into
wall texture from Fez, Morocco (Lubilub/Getty);
Middle Eastern culinary history, this
Painted tile – Damascus, Syria, fifteenth century
book is a must-have for anyone with
Jacket design: alicia Freile, Tango Media www.ibtauris.com
a sweet tooth.
www.tangomedia.com.au
FullCOV_SweetDelights_FNL.indd 1 6/4/13 11:14 AM
Sweet Delights from
a Thousand and One Nights
We dedicate this book to Freda Abu Rizk (Bourzk) Salloum
Wife of Habeeb and mother of Muna and Leila, she was the person
who convinced us to write about the history of Arab sweets, one of
her favourite subjects. Her love for and pride in her origins inspired her
daughters to learn from her and to transcribe what she found best in Arab
cuisine. Freda believed in continuing the traditions of old Damascus, for
it was she who learned from her mother the continuity of her family’s
cooking techniques, their secrets and their flavours. Unexpectedly, she
left us, but her spirit remains within as we continue what she loved. It
was Freda, or ‘Sitty’, who urged us to dedicate this book to her precious
grandchildren, the ‘sweets of her life’, Laith, Mazin, Jinaan and Shaadi,
and to her great-grandsons, Bilal and Tamer, who were to be born after
her passing. For it was Freda who said, ‘For the love of their heritage
and with our past, we give you our future to pass on.’
Sweet Delights
from

a Thousand and
TheO Storyn ofe Tr adNitionail gArahb tSwseets
Habeeb Salloum
Muna Salloum
Leila Salloum Elias
Published in 2013 by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd
6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU
175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010
www.ibtauris.com
Distributed in the United States and Canada Exclusively by
Palgrave Macmillan, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010
Copyright © 2013 Habeeb Salloum, Muna Salloum and Leila Salloum Elias
The right of Habeeb Salloum, Muna Salloum and Leila Salloum Elias to be
identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any
part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
the publisher.
ISBN: 978 1 78076 464 1
ePDF ISBN 978 0 85772 330 7
A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available
Designed and typeset by Dexter Haven Associates Ltd, London
Contents
List of plates .................................. ix
Acknowledgements .......... ................... xi
Glossary ..................................... xiii
About this book ...............................xvii
Introduction ....................................1
The medieval sources .............................9
Basic recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Qatr ...............................................15
‘Asal syrup ..........................................16
Qashta .............................................16
Pastries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
al-Sanbusak al-Hulu ...................................19
Sambusa Hilwa ...................................21
Aqras Mukarrara ......................................22
Asabi‘ Zaynab ........................................24
Asabi‘ al-‘Arus .......................................26
Baqlawa ................................................27
Isfunj ..................................................30
Sfinj or Sfenj .........................................32
Sfinci or Sfingi .......................................34
Khudud al-Aghani ........................................35
Yo-yo ..............................................36
Roscos .............................................38
Kunafa .................................................39
Kenefa (or Ktefa) ..................................41
Kunafa (rolled) .......................................43
Lawzinaj ............................................45
Braywat ............................................47
Nashab .............................................48
Luqaymat al-Qadi ........................................49
Lugaymat ........................................51
Mushash Zubayda ........................................52
M’hansha ...........................................55
al-Mujabbana ............................................56
Almojábanas ........................................59
Braywat ............................................60
Mushabbak .............................................62
Qahiriyat ............................................65
Mustazzuoli .........................................68
Halaqim ................................................70
Sicilian Cannoli ......................................73
Muhajirin Cannoli .................................75
Qarmush ...............................................76
Qata’if .................................................78
Qata’if Mahshi ..........................................79
Beghrir .............................................82
Qata’if .............................................83
al-Qayhata ..............................................85
Kunafa bi al-Jubn ..................................88
Sanbusaj Mukallal ........................................89
Zalabiya ................................................92
Halwa Shabakiya .....................................94
Les Oreillettes Montpellieraines .......................96
Churros ............................................97
Farturas ............................................98
Borrachuelos ........................................99
Buñuelos ..........................................100
Zeppole ...........................................101
Zalabiya Mahshuwa .....................................103
Cookies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Irnin ..................................................107
Ma‘mul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Klaycha ...........................................110
Karabij Halab .......................................112
Ka‘b al-Ghazal ..........................................113
Ka‘b Ghazal ........................................116
Ka‘k ..............................................117
Ka‘k Suri ..........................................120
Ka‘k bi Halib .......................................121
Moroccan Fakkas .................................123
Ka‘k Mahshi ...........................................124
Khushkananaj ..........................................126
Ghurayba ..........................................128
Polvorones a la Andaluza ...........................129
Maqrud ...............................................130
Imqaret ............................................132
Nuhud al-‘Adhra’ ........................................133
Biscochitos .........................................135
Cakes and pies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
Mujabbana .............................................137
Cassata alla Siciliana .................................139
Muqawwara ............................................142
Murakkaba. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Bint al-Sahn ........................................147
Musammana ...........................................149
M’semmen .........................................151
Torta de Amêndoas ..................................152
Candies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Faludhaj ...............................................155
Natif ..............................................157
Modern Arab Nougat .................................159
Torrone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
Soplillos ...........................................161
Torta Imperial and Torta Real ..............................162
Torta Imperial ......................................162
Torta Real ..........................................164
Halwa Wardiya .........................................165
Halwa’ Sukkariya ........................................166
al-Lawzinaj al-Yabis ......................................168
Melindres de Yepes ..................................170
Makshufa ..............................................171
Sabuniya ..............................................173
Shawabir ..............................................175
Halwa’ Yabisa ..........................................176
Sicilian Torrone di Mandorle ...........................178
Cubaita di Giuggiulena ...............................179
Turrón ............................................180
Alajú .............................................181
Confetti ...........................................182
Shakarinaj .............................................183
Puddings and other sweet delights . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
al-Kahin ...............................................185
Aruzz Hulu .........................................186
Rizz bi-Halib ....................................188
Arroz con Leche .....................................189
Khabis al-Yaqtin ........................................190
Arnadí de Carabassa .................................191
Pastel Cordobés .....................................192
al-Maris ...............................................194
Basisa .................................................195
A Sweet of Dates and Honey ..............................197
Dimagh al-Mutawakkil ...................................199
Faludhaj ...............................................200
Almasiya ..........................................203
Balouza ........................................204
Faludhaj (melon) ........................................205
Gelo di Melone .....................................207
Muhallabiya ............................................208
Mihallabiya ........................................210
Hays ..................................................211
Bolas de Figo e Amêndoas .............................212
Isnan al-‘Ajuz ...........................................213
Jawadhib al-Mawz .......................................214
Judhaba al-Mawz li-Ibn al-Mahdi ...........................217
Judhab al-Tamr .........................................218
Juraydat ...............................................220
Khabisa ...............................................222
Khabis ............................................224
Ma’muniya ............................................225
Semolina pudding ...................................226
al-Mukhannaqa .........................................227
Rummien fi il-Mazahar ...............................229
Rutab Mu‘assal .........................................230
Dates stuffed with almond paste ........................231
Dates stuffed with pistachio paste .......................233
Rutab fi Ghayr Awanih ...................................233
Figos Cheios ........................................235
Bibliography ..................................237
Index ......................................245
List of plates
PLATE 1 al-Sanbusak al-H ulu
PLATE 2 Isfunj
PLATE 3 Kunafa
PLATE 4 Kunafa (rolled)
PLATE 5 Lawzinaj
PLATE 6 Mushash Zubayda
PLATE 7 M’hansha
PLATE 8 Muhajirin Cannoli
PLATE 9 Qarmush
PLATE 10 Qata’if Mahshi
PLATE 11 Irnin
PLATE 12 Klaycha
PLATE 13 Ka‘k Suri
PLATE 14 Ka‘k bi Halib
PLATE 15 Ka‘k Mahshi
PLATE 16 Maqrud
PLATE 17 Nuhud al-‘Adhra’
PLATE 18 Biscochitos
PLATE 19 Faludhaj
PLATE 20 Natif
PLATE 21 Soplillos
PLATE 22 Torta Imperial
PLATE 23 Makshufa
PLATE 24 Sabuniya
PLATE 25 Arnadí de Carabassa
PLATE 26 Basisa
PLATE 27 Dimagh al-Mutawakkil
PLATE 28 Balouza
PLATE 29 Muhallabiya
PLATE 30 Hays
PLATE 31 Jawadhib al-Mawz
PLATE 32 Juraydat
ix