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Knafeh
Knafeh () is a traditional Arab dessert made with '' kadayif'' (spun pastry dough) layered with cheese and soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar. Knafeh is a popular throughout the Arab world, especially in the Levant, and is often served on special occasions and holidays. The most common variant of knafeh in Jordan and Palestine, ''Knafeh Nabulseyeh'', originated in the Palestinian city of Nablus. Etymology The English language borrows the word "''knafeh''" from Levantine and Egyptian Arabic, and widely transliterates it as , and similar variations. The ultimate origin of the word knafeh is debated. Some sources state that it comes from the Coptic Egyptian word "", meaning a bread or cake. Another view is that it comes from a Semitic root with a meaning of "side" or "wing", and from the Arabic , "to flank or enclose". Early uses are found in stories like ''One Thousand and One Nights''. History A common story is that the knafeh was created to satisfy the hunger ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arab Cuisine
Arab cuisine collectively refers to the regional culinary traditions of the Arab world, consisting of the Maghreb (the west) and the Mashriq (the east). These cuisines are centuries-old and reflect the culture of trading in ingredients, spices, herbs, and commodities among the Arabs. The regions have many similarities, but also unique traditions. They have also been influenced by climate, cultivation, and mutual commerce. Medieval cuisine Breads The white bread was made with high-quality wheat flour, similar to bread but thicker, the fermented dough was leavened usually with yeast and "baker's borax" () and baked in a ''tandoor''. One poetic verse describing this bread: "In the farthest end of Karkh of Baghdad, a baker I saw offering bread, wondrous fair. From purest essence of wheat contrived. Radiant and absolute, you may see your image reflected, crystal clear. rounds glowing with lovely whiteness, more playful than gorgeous singing girls, They look like crystal trays, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kadayif
''Kadaif,'' ''kadayif'', ''kataifi'', ''kadaifi,'' ''katayef'' or ''kataïf'' (Arabic: قطايف) is a type of shredded filo strands, used in the cooking of many Middle Eastern pastries and desserts, including the Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ... ''knafeh'' and Turkey's ''tel kadayıf''. See also * Dubai chocolate References {{Arab-cuisine-stub Middle Eastern cuisine Doughs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nabulsi Cheese
Nabulsi is a Palestinian white brined cheese made in the Middle East. Its name refers to its place of origin, Nablus, and it is known throughout the West Bank and surrounding regions. Nabulsi, along with Akkawi cheese, is one of the principal cheeses consumed in Jordan. It is produced primarily from sheep's milk; alternatively, goat's milk may be used. Nabulsi cheese is white and rectangular in shape. It is semi-hard with no gas holes. It becomes soft and elastic when heated. It is a typical ewe's or goat's milk cheese, but is traditionally flavored with mahleb (''Prunus mahaleb'') and mastic (''Pistacia lentiscus'') added to the boiling brine. It is a major ingredient of the Middle Eastern dessert '' knafeh''. Production The cheese can be prepared using cow, sheep or goat milk, or a mixture of cow and sheep milk to create ''mashmouleh'' () cheese. The cheese is first prepared by heating the milk and then adding the mastic gum and mahaleb, and then, after it is cooled, renne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed to have been revealed to the Prophets of Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. The annual observance of Ramadan is regarded as one of the five pillars of Islam and lasts twenty-nine to thirty days, from one sighting of the Hilal (crescent moon), crescent moon to the next. Fasting from dawn to sunset is obligatory (''fard'') for all adult Muslims who are not acute illness, acutely or chronic illness, chronically ill, travelling, old age, elderly, breastfeeding, Pregnancy, pregnant, or Menstruation in Islam, menstruating. The predawn meal is referred to as ''suhur'', and the nightly feast that breaks the fast is called ''iftar''. Although rulings (''fatawa'') have been issued declaring that Muslims who live in regions with a midnight sun or pola ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Attar (syrup)
Qatir, or attar (Arabic: قَطْر) is a type of sweet syrup used in the preparation of Middle Eastern desserts. It is made of primarily sugar and water, and is reduced slightly until somewhat golden and thicker. It is sometimes accented by steeping additional flavorings such as lemon juice, rose water or oil, or attar (a rose-hinted plant of similar name). It is an essential addition to many Arabic or Levantine desserts, and is added cold or at room temperature to a hot dessert after it is baked. Name Qatir is also referred to as ''sheera'' (), or as ''sharbat'' (sometimes ''sherbet'') () in Egyptian Arabic. Ingredients and Preparation Qatir is usually prepared by boiling sugar in water, lemon juice is added to prevent sugar from crystalizing, lemon juice can accelerate breaking down sucrose into fructose and glucose. The syrup is ordinarily scented with rose water or orange flower water, the exact ingredients and quantities may vary depending on the dish the qatir was m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to the west. The Jordan River, flowing into the Dead Sea, is located along the country's western border within the Jordan Rift Valley. Jordan has a small coastline along the Red Sea in its southwest, separated by the Gulf of Aqaba from Egypt. Amman is the country's capital and List of cities in Jordan, largest city, as well as the List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, most populous city in the Levant. Inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic period, three kingdoms developed in Transjordan (region), Transjordan during the Iron Age: Ammon, Moab and Edom. In the third century BC, the Arab Nabataeans established Nabataean Kingdom, their kingdom centered in Petra. The Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman period saw the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Almond
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the shell (Fruit anatomy#Endocarp, endocarp) surrounding the seed. The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a Pyrena, hard shell with the seed, which is not a nut (fruit), true nut. ''Shelling'' almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal the seed. Almonds are sold shelled or unshelled. Blanching (cooking), Blanched almonds are shelled almonds that have been treated with hot water to soften the seedcoat, which is then removed to reveal the white embryo. Once almonds are cleaned and processed, they can be stored for around a year if kept refrigerated; at higher temperatures they will become rancidification, rancid more quickly. Almonds are used in many cuisines, often featuring prominently i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Levantine Arabic
Levantine Arabic, also called Shami (Endonym and exonym, autonym: or ), is an Varieties of Arabic, Arabic variety spoken in the Levant, namely in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and southern Turkey (historically only in Adana Province, Adana, Mersin Province, Mersin and Hatay Province, Hatay provinces). With over 60 million speakers, Levantine is, alongside Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian, one of the two Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige varieties of spoken Arabic comprehensible all over the Arab world. Levantine is not Official language, officially recognized in any state or territory. Although it is the majority language in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, it is predominantly used as a spoken vernacular in daily communication, whereas most written and official documents and media in these countries use the official Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), a form of Literary language, literary Arabic only Second-language acquisition, acquired through formal education tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caliph
A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entire Muslim world (''ummah''). Historically, the caliphates were polities based on Islam which developed into multi-ethnic trans-national empires. During the medieval period, three major caliphates succeeded each other: the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661), the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), and the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1517). In the fourth major caliphate, the Ottoman Caliphate, the rulers of the Ottoman Empire claimed caliphal authority from 1517 until the Ottoman caliphate was Abolition of the Caliphate, formally abolished as part of the Atatürk's reforms, 1924 secularisation of Turkey. An attempt to preserve the title was tried, with the Sharifian Caliphate, but this caliphate fell quickly after its conquest by the Sultanate o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
One Thousand And One Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition (), which rendered the title as ''The Arabian Nights' Entertainments''. The work was collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, and North Africa. Some tales trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, and Mesopotamian literature. Most tales, however, were originally folk stories from the Abbasid and Mamluk eras, while others, especially the frame story, are probably drawn from the Pahlavi Persian work (, ), which in turn may be translations of older Indian texts. Common to all the editions of the ''Nights'' is the framing device of the story of the ruler Shahryar being narrated the tales by his wife Scheherazade, with one tale told ov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns language codes to 32 varieties of Arabic, including its standard form of Literary Arabic, known as Modern Standard Arabic, which is derived from Classical Arabic. This distinction exists primarily among Western linguists; Arabic speakers themselves generally do not distinguish between Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic, but rather refer to both as ( "the eloquent Arabic") or simply ' (). Arabic is the List of languages by the number of countries in which they are recognized as an official language, third most widespread official language after English and French, one of six official languages of the United Nations, and the Sacred language, liturgical language of Islam. Arabic is widely taught in schools and universities around the wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Semitic Languages
The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. They include Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya language, Tigrinya, Aramaic, Hebrew language, Hebrew, Maltese language, Maltese, Modern South Arabian languages and numerous other ancient and modern languages. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of Western Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Malta, and in large Immigration, immigrant and Expatriate, expatriate communities in North America, Europe, and Australasia. The terminology was first used in the 1780s by members of the Göttingen school of history, who derived the name from Shem, one of the three Generations of Noah, sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis. Semitic languages List of languages by first written account, occur in written form from a very early historical date in West Asia, with East Semitic languages, East Semitic Akkadian language, Akkadian (also known as Ancient Assyrian language, Assyrian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
