qatayef

{{Infobox food

| name = Qatayef

| image = قطايف عصافيري2.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption =

| alternate_name =

| country = Middle East

| region = Egypt, Levant

| creator =

| course =

| type = Dumpling, pancake

| served =

| main_ingredient = Cream, or a mixture of hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, raisins, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

File:Qatayef3.jpg

Qatayef or qata'if ({{langx|ar|قطايف}} {{IPA|ar|qɑˈtˤɑ:jɪf|}}) is an Arabic dessert. 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 ({{langx|ar|قطايف}}) is derived from the Arabic root q-ṭ-f, meaning to pick up or to pluck.{{cite book |last1=Freytag |first1=Georg |title=Lexicon Arabico-Latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus, adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris, confectum |date=1830 |publisher=C. A. Schwetschke et filium |page=468 |edition=Vol.1 |url=https://archive.org/stream/lexiconarabicola03freyuoft#page/n475/mode/2up}}{{cite book |last1=Badawi |first1=Al-Saïd |last2=Abdel-Haleem |first2=Muhammad |title=Arabic - English Dictionary of Qurʾanic Usage |year=2008 |publisher=BRILL |page=767 |isbn=978-9004149489 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mclrIKdye5QC&q=%D9%82%D8%B7%D9%81+to+pluck&pg=PA767}}

Origin

Qatayef is believed to be of Fatimid origin.{{Cite web |url=https://eng-archive.aawsat.com/theaawsat/lifestyle-culture/the-ramadan-experience-in-egypt |title=The Ramadan Experience in Egypt |access-date=2018-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507025216/https://eng-archive.aawsat.com/theaawsat/lifestyle-culture/the-ramadan-experience-in-egypt |archive-date=2019-05-07 |url-status=dead }} Some believe that qatayef are the creation of the Fatimid Dynasty, however, their history dates back to the Abbasid Caliphate, 750–1258 CE.{{cite web |title=The sweet history of Qatayef |url=http://en.royanews.tv/news/14238/2018-05-14 |website=Roya news |access-date=26 August 2018}}{{cite web |title=In Gaza, Qatayef tradition thrives during Ramadan |url=https://gulfnews.com/news/mena/palestine/in-gaza-qatayef-tradition-thrives-during-ramadan-1.2044327 |website=GULF NEWS |access-date=26 August 2018}} Qatayef was mentioned in a tenth century Arabic cookbook dating back to the Abbasid Caliphate by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq called Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ ({{langx|ar|كتاب الطبيخ}}, The Book of Dishes). The book was later translated by Nawal Nasrallah under the name Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens.{{cite book |last1=al-Warrāq |first1=Ibn Sayyār |last2=Nasrallah |first2=Nawal |title=Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens: Ibn Sayyār Al-Warrāq's Tenth-century Baghdadi Cookbook |date=Nov 26, 2007 |publisher=BRILL |page=422 |isbn=978-9004158672 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dUC-e-l3XM8C&q=making+crepes+with+sugar+Almonds+walnuts+and+pine+nuts |access-date=30 August 2018}} 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.{{Cite web |title=الوصفة العربية {{!}} طريقة عمل القطايف |url=https://www.arabianrecipe.com/%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%82%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%b7%d8%a7%d9%8a%d9%81/ |access-date=2022-04-09 |language=ar}} 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.[https://books.google.com/books?id=A5HkylcAkxoC&dq=kunafa+egypt&pg=PA48 Sadat, Jehan (2002). A Woman of Egypt. Simon & Schuster. p. 48.]{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2unDlVK_AzEC&q=kunafa+egypt&pg=PA290|title=The Pure and Powerful: Studies in Contemporary Muslim Society|last=Abu-Zahra|first=Nadia|date=1999|publisher=Ithaca Press|isbn=9780863722691|language=en}}

Tradition

Arab Muslims commonly serve it during the month of Ramadan.{{cite journal|last1=Naanou|first1=Paul|last2=Rhodes|first2=Sam|title=Cultural Connections: Exploring the Mathematics of Qatayef|journal=Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12|volume=113|issue=12|year=2020|pages=1034–1038|issn=0025-5769|doi=10.5951/MTLT.2020.0164|s2cid=230629195}}

Arab Christians also eat it during some celebrations.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}

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).{{Cite web|url=http://egyptian-cuisine-recipes.com/recipes/desserts/qatayef-with-nuts.html|title=Qatayef with nuts قطايف بالمكسرات {{!}} Egyptian Cuisine and Recipes|website=egyptian-cuisine-recipes.com|language=en|access-date=2018-03-14}}