There is a huge variety in the list of Arabic sweets, as there are very famous sweets all over the world, and there are also special sweets that are famous in each region separately, some of which are baked and added to ghee or syrup, and others are prepared from the simplest and least possible ingredients available such as milk And in this article, we will provide you with a list of the most important Arab sweets, and where you can find those sweets in UAE.
Arabic Sweets
As long as Arab country has been distinguished by its kitchens, and the recipes and dishes that every Arab kitchen contains, which are linked to its culture, history, and environment, you see in every Arab country a group of sweet dishes that were famous for their test and preparation. It is widely popular due to its delicious and endearing taste.
1) Kunafa
The kunafa, Kunefe or Kanafeh is a dish remains one of the most famous and closest types of Arabic sweet as well as Turkish sweet to the hearts of many. Orange and yellow color dipped and soaked in sweet sugar syrup, and filled with cheese like cream cheese or mozzarella cheese.
Kunafa is one of the most famous oriental sweets, which is famous for its manufacture in the Levant and is characterized by a sweet and wonderful taste.
Kunafa is one of the most famous and best Arabic and Turkish sweet in the world. Besides that, the Kunafa dough is used in many other oriental sweets, such as Ush al-Bulbul, Osmaliyah, Faisaliah, al-Baluri and others.
2) Lugaimat (Logma) “Luqaimat”
“Dumplings, Lugaimat, Logma, Laqmat al-Qadi or Luqaimat are all names for one type of dessert associated with Ramadan, loved by all family members, and known for their ease of preparation.
It is a also from Arabic sweets and basic dessert for the Emiratis (UAE Citizens), and it is linked to the Emirati heritage, and it is in the form of fragile golden balls that melt in the mouth, and it is called here “Luqaimat”, while in the Levant they call it “Awama”, and in Egypt it is called “Laqmat Al Qadi”.
“Luqaimat” is a dessert similar to the international “doughnut”, and it combines the Arab and Western cuisines, and some may think that it is of Arab origin, while it belongs to the Greeks who call it “lukomades” and prefer to eat it with ice cream with mastic flavor or with cinnamon. It is also famous in Cyprus by the same name, and is considered a local sweet.
As for the honey-flavored liquid, its names are also multiple: “sorbet”, “drops”, “shira”, and it is used to decorate the luqaimat dessert, and its origins go back to Turkey, where it is served, as in most Arab countries, with coffee or tea after meals or when receiving guests.
Luqmat al-Qadi appeared in the streets of Alexandria, Egypt, due to the mixing of its residents with Greeks for long periods of time, which gave it the characteristic of a popular dessert sold on the streets. Sweets and bakery stores that allocate a place outside, where the seller stands in front of a large frying pan covered with oil, drawing the attention of customers with his quick movement of his hand in cutting the dough using a small spoon to throw pieces of it into the oil to give the shape of floats or golden balls.
3) Arabic Sweets Umm Ali
Those who know it will love it without a doubt. It is the famous Um Ali dessert, whose distinctive taste has earned it wide popularity not only in UAE or Egypt, but also in many Arab countries.
This dessert consists mainly of “bread”, milk and nuts, so at first glance it may seem like a Arabic sweet dish, but once you take your first bite, you will be surprised by the amount of delicious flavors hidden inside this dish.
The story of the invention of Um Ali candy goes back to Shajarat al-Durr, who was able to rule Egypt for 80 days in difficult circumstances after the death of her husband, Najm al-Din Ayoub, during the country’s exposure to the Seventh Crusade led by King Louis IX of France.
The order for Shajar Al-Durr to rule Egypt was not a welcome source for the Abbasids in Iraq and the Ayyubids in the Levant, with demonstrations emerging in Egypt denouncing the sitting of a woman in power, so the Mamluks were only to marry Shajar Al-Durr to Izz Al-Din Aybak until you ceded power to him and he became the first sultan of the Mamluks in Egypt.
Although Aybak became the sultan of Egypt, Shajarat al-Durr shared with him the exercise of the responsibility of governance and he became completely subordinate to it, as she began forcing him to abandon his wife “Umm Ali” and forbade him to visit her, until it reached the point of her control over the sultan that the historian Ibn Taghrdi Bardi said: “She was She is completely overpowered and has no words with her.”
As soon as the new Sultan Aybak managed to control the reins of government well, he turned against her and began taking steps to marry the daughter of the Sultan of Mosul.
When the blood tree learned of the matter, she rushed to plot a conspiracy against him, and sent him news to appease him and ask him to pardon him.
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Shajarat al-Durr could only spread the news of the death of Sultan Aybak that he died suddenly during the night, but the Mamluks did not believe her and arrested her and carried her to the former wife of Aybak “Umm Ali,” who ordered her maidservants to beat her “with slippers” to death and handed her son Ali to the throne.
On this occasion, Umm Ali ordered her maidservants to mix milk and flour with sugar and nuts, in the “Umm Ali” dish, and present it to people, so this famous dish entered the Egyptian kitchen, and from it to the Arab kitchen.
4) Rice Pudding (Roz Bel Laban)
One of the most delicious and sweetest desserts is rice pudding also known as Roz Bel Laban, which the Egyptians have been associated with since ancient times, and fasting people are always keen to eat it during the holy month of Ramadan.
Rice with milk is a dish that consists mainly of rice, milk, cream, sugar, and nuts, in addition to other ingredients such as cinnamon, saffron, honey and raisins, which is served as a dessert or as a main lunch; Where sugar is added to it if it is a dessert, and it is famous for being one of the Arabic sweets in the Arabic countries regions and Turkey.
5) Halawat El Jibn
Halawat al-jibn is one of the traditional popular sweets in the Levant, and its origin goes back to the city of Hama, and the halawat al-jibn industry dates back to dozens of years ago. Cheese forms the basis of the sweetness of the cheese, in addition to semolina, cream and syrup, or the so-called sherbet, which is the sugar that is placed on top of the sweetness after making it to give it an intoxicating taste.
And sweet cheese is one of the sweets that is eaten cold, and is served without sugar, which is added according to the desire of the eater.
The sweetness of cheese made with rose water, which will attract you with its aroma that refreshes the heart and delights the soul. This Arabic Sweet is made with mozzarella cheese or cream cheese. It is then topped with nuts and cherries and served nice and cool.
6) Basbousa
Basbousa Oriental sweets have a special taste than any kind of sweet spread in the Arab world, despite the spread of Western sweets around us, but their taste remains crowned on the throne of our hearts and stomachs.
Basbousa is one of the Arabic sweets that has ancient origins in the Arab world and is still prevalent among us until now. This dessert is called “Dalaa.” The name of this delicious dessert is due to the way it works, which requires “dressing”, that is, adding flour with ghee until it mixes completely and the first to be famous It was made by the Ottomans.
Many Arab countries offer basbousa today according to the mood and general flavor popular with their citizens, considering that the people of the Levant are among the most skilled who make distinctive additions to many of the main dishes that the countries of the world are famous for, such as the Egyptian basbousa, they add rose water instead of vanilla on the flavor Basbousa, while some Gulf countries such as Bahrain and Yemen prefer to serve basbousa with dates stuffing, while in Saudi Arabia it is eaten hot after cooking it immediately and not cold as in Egypt.
7) Baklava (Arabic Sweets)
As we know, baklava, made of pastry chips stuffed with nuts, pistachios and sugar syrup, baklava is also Arabic Sweets and famous in many regions around the world, especially as it is one of the favorite sweets of all heavenly religions and different cultures.
Baklava is actually a type of pastry dish which filled with nuts sweetened with honey or sugar syrup. It was one of the most beloved sweet pastries in Ottoman cuisine. The dish’s pre-Ottoman origins are unclear, but today it is a popular dessert in Iranian, Turkish and Arab cuisines, as well as other countries of the Levant and Maghreb, as well as the southern Caucasus, the Balkans and Central Asia.
Baklava is traditionally made in large tubs. Several layers of phyllo dough are placed in the pan, separated by melted butter and vegetable oil. On top of it lay a layer of chopped nuts – usually walnuts or pistachios, although hazelnuts can be used – followed by other layers of filo. Although most recipes call for several layers of phyllo and nuts, some simply call for the top and bottom crust.
