Künefe (كنافة) is a warm dessert made of thin shreds of kadayıf dough hiding a layer of melted unsalted cheese. Everything is richly drenched in sugar syrup. At first glance, it looks like a golden, crispy pie, but as soon as you cut into it, the stretchy cheese immediately reveals that this is no ordinary sweet bun. It is one of the most famous Turkish desserts.
The combination of hot, fatty cheese and sweet syrup might sound unusual, but the result is surprisingly harmonious. It is usually served on a plate as a round disk sprinkled with bright green crushed pistachios, often still bubbling with heat, with a dollop of thick cream on top. It is not a dessert for dieters; it is food for joy.
Although perhaps all nations of the former Ottoman Empire argue about the origin of künefe, its home is the region of the Levant. It has a very strong tradition in Turkey, specifically in the Hatay province (with the city of Antakya), which is gastronomically strongly influenced by Arab culture. However, künefe is equally at home in Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, or Syria. The name comes from an Arabic root word meaning “to hug” or “to hem,” which accurately describes the technique where the dough hugs the cheese filling.
The basis of the recipe consists of two main components: dough and cheese. The dough, called kadayıf, is made from flour and water poured through a fine sieve onto a rotating hot plate, creating long vermicelli-like strands. These become extremely crispy after baking. The second ingredient is cheese. It must be unsalted, semi-hard, and must have the ability to melt with heat. In Turkey, special cheese from the Hatay region is used; in Arab countries, Nabulsi cheese is often used, which must be desalted beforehand by soaking in water. The whole dish is then bound together by clarified butter, which ensures a golden color, and a simple sugar syrup. The pistachios on the surface are not just for decoration; their nutty taste breaks up the uniform sweetness.
Künefe is prepared on small metal plates. The cook first greases the plate with a thick layer of butter. He spreads a layer of chopped kadayıf noodles on it and carefully presses them down with his palm to create a solid base. Cheese goes on top of this layer and is covered with another layer of noodles. The whole thing is pressed down strongly again. The plates are placed on a special gas burner or, even better, on charcoal. The cook constantly spins the plate so that the heat is distributed evenly and the bottom caramelizes rather than burns. At the right moment, the dessert must be flipped.
Künefe must be eaten immediately. Once it cools down, the cheese hardens and the food loses its magic. It is eaten with a fork and knife, directly from the small plate on which the dessert was prepared.
I tasted this dessert in my favorite Istanbul restaurant, Gaziantep Közde Künefe Kebap Salonu (see Where to Eat in Istanbul). Here, they prepare künefe fresh right in front of you on the grill, so you see the whole process from layering to the final flip. The taste was flawless, the cheese stretched exactly as it should, and the dough was perfectly baked, not soggy. A great dessert richly sprinkled with pistachios costs 30 TRY (1.60 EUR) here.
Bon appétit!
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