Sweets | Page 6 of 11
Zrir: A Typical Tunisian Dessert
Tunisian zrir is a dessert made from roasted and ground sesame seeds, honey, and various nuts. Its pleasantly sweet flavor is enhanced by aromatic spices like cinnamon or anise. This typical Tunisian delicacy is traditionally prepared for special occasions such as the birth of a child or a wedding.
Assidat Zgougou: Tunisian Creamy Dessert
Assidat zgougou is a traditional Tunisian dessert primarily prepared for Mawlid celebrations but available year-round in pastry shops. The dessert has a characteristic creamy texture, achieved thanks to its main ingredient - the seeds of the Aleppo pine. The surface is decorated with nuts, often arranged in artistic patterns.
Makroudh: Tunisian Cookie Filled with Dates
Makroudh is a traditional Tunisian sweet originating from the city of Kairouan. It is made from semolina dough filled with date paste, shaped into cylinders. These are flattened, cut into the characteristic diamond shapes, and fried until golden. Finally, the pieces are dipped in syrup made of sugar, water, and lemon juice. Makroudh is beloved throughout the Maghreb.
Basbousa: A Moist Arabic Semolina Cake
Basbousa, known as harissa in Tunisia, is a traditional sweet dessert popular in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. This moist cake is made from coarse wheat semolina, giving it a unique grainy texture, and is soaked in a sweet sugar syrup after baking. Basbousa is a staple at celebrations, Ramadan, weddings, and holidays such as Eid al-Fitr. The recipe varies widely from region to region.
Pączki: Typical Polish Doughnuts
Polish doughnuts, known as "pączki," are exceptionally popular pastries in Poland. These doughnuts, usually round or oblong in shape, are filled with a wide range of fillings. You can taste rose jam, plum jam, or vanilla cream, but there are dozens of other options. Although they are more expensive than Czech doughnuts, their size, taste, and generous amount of filling make them an irresistible treat.
Rogal Świętomarciński: St. Martin's Croissant
The St. Martin's croissant, a sweet pastry with a poppy seed filling, is inextricably linked to Poznań and the celebrations of St. Martin's Day. It has gained such popularity that it is now available all year round and has become one of the symbols of Poznań's gastronomy. The name of the pastry is protected by a local certificate and, since 2008, also by the EU's Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status.
Pierniki Toruńskie: Toruń Gingerbread
Toruń gingerbread is a traditional Polish sweet with a history dating back to the 13th century. These gingerbread cookies are inextricably linked to the city of Toruń, which is promoted at the national level under the slogan "Gingerbread City." Traditional Toruń gingerbread is characterized by a rich taste and aroma, which it acquires thanks to the use of high-quality ingredients such as rye flour, honey, and a special blend of spices. They are made in various shapes and sizes, from small figurines to large decorated sheets. The most popular variety is "katarzynki."
Tarta de Queso La Viña: The Burnt Cheesecake from San Sebastián
Tarta de queso from the La Viña bar in San Sebastián is a crustless cake of cream cheese, eggs, sugar and cream, baked in a fierce oven so the top blackens and the middle stays almost liquid. Santiago Rivera worked the recipe out in the late 1980s after two years of trying; from a single pintxos bar it spread to cafes all over the world as the Basque burnt cheesecake.
Gata: The Armenian Sweet Cake
Gata is an Armenian buttery pastry whose most common filling is flour, butter and sugar - a cake filled with its own dough, toasted and sweetened. Its name has cousins in Turkish and Georgian, and an origin that not even Armenia's greatest etymologist could crack. At New Year a coin for luck is hidden inside; I tasted it at the bakery below Haghartsin Monastery and was given one at Tatev.
Baklava Gavar: Armenian Honey Baklava from Lake Sevan
Baklava Gavar is a layered honey pastry from the Armenian town of Gavar on the shore of Lake Sevan. Tradition says the recipe was brought here by settlers from Bayazet, which is why it is also called Bayazet baklava. It has twenty-two to twenty-five sheets of dough with walnuts and butter between them, and it is drenched in hot honey. In 2022 Armenia added it to its national list of intangible cultural heritage.