Qatayef or qata'if ( ) is an Arab cuisine. It is a type of sweet dumpling filled with cream or nuts, or a filled folded pancake with a thickness similar to a Scottish crumpet.
Etymology
The
Arabic word
qaṭaːyif () is derived from the Arabic root
q-ṭ-f, meaning to pick up or to pluck.
Origin
Qatayef is believed to be of
Fatimid origin.
Some believe that qatayef are the creation of the Fatimid Dynasty, however, their history dates back to the Abbasid Caliphate, 750–1258 CE.
Qatayef was mentioned in a tenth century Arabic cookbook dating back to the Abbasid Caliphate by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq called
Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ (,
The Book of Dishes). The book was later translated by
Nawal Nasrallah under the name
Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens.
The traditional stuffing of Qatayef, as evident in a number of Medieval Arabic cookbooks, is crushed almond and sugar. In these recipes, once the pancake was stuffed, it would sometimes be fried in walnut oil or baked in the oven.
Qatayef was traditionally prepared by street vendors as well as households in
Egypt and the
Levant. It is usually filled with
akkawi cheese, crushed walnuts, as well as crushed pistachios. Modern variations, with fillings such as
Nutella, are also consumed.
[ Sadat, Jehan (2002). A Woman of Egypt. Simon & Schuster. p. 48.]
Tradition
Arab Muslims commonly serve it during the month of
Ramadan.
also eat it during some celebrations. Due to its ubiquity in Muslim communities during Ramadan, some Christians also consume qatayif during the Muslim holy month alongside Muslims.
Preparation
Qatayef is the general name of the dessert as a whole and, more specifically, the batter.
It is usually made out of flour, baking powder, water, yeast, and sometimes sugar. The result of the batter being poured onto a round
hot plate appears similar to pancakes, except only one side is cooked, then stuffed and folded. To make Qatayef Satati (deep fried) The pastry is filled with either unsalted sweet cheese a mixture of any of hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, raisins, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, rose extract, and cinnamon. It is then deep fried or, alternatively, baked and served with a hot sweet
syrup or sometimes honey. The other way of serving qatayef is by filling it with whipped cream or
qishta (قشطة), folding it halfway, and serving it with scented syrup without frying or baking. This way of serving is called
assafiri qatayef (قطايف عصافيري).
See also
