Dish · middle-eastern
Knafeh
Knafeh is a dessert of shredded phyllo or semolina dough baked over a layer of stretchy, salted cheese, then soaked in sugar syrup and topped with crushed pistachios.
Where it comes from
Nablus is closely associated with the dish, where a specific white brine cheese, akkawi, is used, though its exact origin is debated and versions using semolina instead of shredded dough exist across the region.
What cooks argue about
The fight is over the cheese: akkawi must be soaked to pull the salt out before baking, and cooks disagree on how long that soak should take before it turns bland.
Versions
Nobody has published a knafeh here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
akkawi
pistachios