Knafa Bjoz

Knafeh in Nablus

Nablus gives its name to knafeh Nabulsiyeh, one of Palestine's best-known sweets. Its cheese, its two kinds, and the giant knafeh of 2009.

By Knafa Bjoz editorsPublished

Also known as: knafeh Nabulsiyeh, kunafa Nabulsieh, الكنافة النابلسية

Knafeh Nabulsiyeh is one of the most famous sweets in Palestine, and it takes its name from the city of Nablus.[1] Nablus is widely seen as the centre of knafeh culture; National Geographic described it in 2010 as “purportedly making the world’s best”.[2]

Origins

When knafeh first appeared in Nablus is disputed. A 2018 Al Jazeera report from the city says that whatever the disagreement over its date, its Nablus origin is not in doubt locally.[3] For the wider history of the dish, which reaches back to medieval cookbooks, see The history of knafeh.

Two kinds: coarse and fine

Nablus bakers speak of two kinds of knafeh, khishneh (coarse) and na’meh (fine), and the fine kind is the more common.[3] Read more about each in Regional styles.

The cheese

The filling is a sweet white cheese, cut into pieces and soaked in water beforehand.[1] The cheese most associated with the region is Nabulsi, the dominant white brined cheese in Jordan and neighbouring countries, typically made from sheep’s milk.[4] It is stored in strong brine, above 18% salt, for up to a year, then soaked in water to remove the salt before it is eaten.[4] See our cheese guide.

Colour

In a large tray, the ghee is mixed with knafeh colouring, a food dye, which colours the pastry.[1]

The giant knafeh of 2009

In July 2009, Palestinian confectioners in Nablus made a knafeh more than 75 metres long and one metre wide, weighing 1,765 kilograms.[5] It used 600 kilograms of white cheese and 300 kilograms of sugar.[5] Arab News reported that the effort entered the Guinness Book of World Records.[5]

Coarse or fine knafeh?

Sources

  1. 1.طعام وصيام.. الكنافة النابلسية. Al Jazeera Net, 2017. In Arabic. Updated 26 February 2023.
  2. 2.Sabina Lohr. The World's Best Knafeh. National Geographic, 2010.
  3. 3.Atef Daghlas. بالفيديو: الكنافة النابلسية.. أصل الحكاية. Al Jazeera Net, 2018. In Arabic.
  4. 4.Khaled Abu-Alruz. Quality of White-Brined Nabulsi Cheese Made with Different Proportions of Sheep's and Cows' Milk. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal, 2023, vol. 11, no. 1.
  5. 5.Mohammed Mar'i. World's largest Kunafa pastry. Arab News, 2009.