Kunafa — Middle Eastern Cheese & Syrup Pastry

Kunafa (also spelled knafeh or kanafeh) is a classic Middle Eastern dessert of mild melting cheese layered with kataifi (shredded) or fine semolina pastry, baked or fried in butter until golden and crisp, then soaked in fragrant sugar syrup (with orange blossom or rose) and topped with crushed pistachios. It's sweet, a touch salty from the cheese, crunchy and gooey all at once. The Nabulsi style from Nablus is the most famous. Kunafa is beloved celebration food across Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Turkey and beyond, best eaten warm so the cheese pulls.

Traditionally a fresh, soft, mild white cheese that melts and stretches — Nabulsi or akkawi cheese is classic, but these are salty and must be soaked in water to desalt them first. A very common and accessible substitute is low-moisture mozzarella, often mixed with a little ricotta or sweet cheese for a milder, creamier, stretchier melt. The cheese should be mild (not sharp) and stringy when hot. Some versions use ashta (clotted cream) instead. Whatever you use, the goal is that warm, gooey, pulling cheese centre.

The golden rule for kunafa (and many syrup pastries) is a temperature contrast: cold syrup over hot pastry, or hot pastry into warm-but-not-boiling syrup. Pouring cool syrup onto the just-baked, hot, crisp kunafa lets it soak in and sweeten the pastry without making it soggy — the crisp texture survives. If both are hot, the pastry goes limp and greasy. So make the syrup ahead and let it cool while the kunafa bakes, then drench the hot pastry the moment it comes out.

Kataifi (or kunafa) pastry is a fine, shredded pastry that looks like thin vermicelli strands — essentially filo dough spun into threads. It's used for the crunchy layers of kunafa and many other Middle Eastern sweets. You'll find it frozen or fresh at Middle Eastern and Mediterranean groceries (sometimes labelled 'kataifi' or 'kadayif'). Pull the strands apart and coat them well in melted butter before baking so they crisp and turn golden. There's also a smoother semolina-dough style of kunafa (na'ameh) used in some regions.

Yes — a traditional method cooks kunafa on the stovetop in a buttered pan over medium heat, rotating the pan for even colouring, until the base is deep golden and crisp, then it's flipped out so the crisp side is up. This is how many shops make individual or round kunafa. The oven is easier for an even bake of a large tray. Either way, the technique is the same: butter the pastry well, press firmly, cook until richly golden and crisp, then flip out and drench with cooled syrup straight away.