We've all witnessed it. That moment when a seemingly niche Middle Eastern dessert suddenly becomes impossible to escape. Kunafa, crispy, golden, filled with molten cheese or creamy custard, dripping in syrup, has gone from a beloved traditional sweet in Middle Eastern households to a global phenomenon that's caused actual pistachio shortages and price spikes worldwide. What started as a humble Palestinian and Lebanese delicacy has transformed into a viral sensation.
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We're seeing it stuffed into croissants, layered in ice cream, transformed into chocolate versions, and honestly, occasionally appearing in contexts that make us wonder if we've collectively lost our minds. Yet beneath the viral madness lies something genuinely delicious, something with centuries of tradition and legitimate culinary brilliance. We've researched, we've tasted, we've experimented. Here's our comprehensive take on Kunafa—the dessert that divided opinion and conquered the world.
Understanding Kunafa: What We're Actually Talking About
Before we dive straight in, let us understand what we mean by Kunafa. This isn't a single dessert with one unchanging recipe. It's a category, a framework, a dessert philosophy that varies significantly across regions.
Traditional kunafa consists of crispy shredded phyllo dough (called kunafa dough) layered with either melted cheese (typically halloumi or akkawi) or creamy custard, then baked until golden, sometimes deep-fried, and finished with sugar syrup and often pistachios. The combination of textures, that crucial contrast between crispy exterior and creamy interior, defines the experience.
Yet here's where it gets interesting. Kunafa isn't uniform. Palestinian kunafa differs from Lebanese versions, which differ from Egyptian interpretations. Some versions use white cheese. Others use custard. Some are baked. Others are fried. The syrup might be light or heavy, fragrant with rose water or orange blossom or neither. This variation is actually kunafa's greatest strength, allowing it to adapt to different contexts whilst maintaining essential character.
Origins: Where Kunafa Actually Comes From
We need to acknowledge something important here. Kunafa's origins remain contested, with various Middle Eastern regions claiming authentic ownership. Yet Palestinian and Lebanese culinary traditions hold the strongest claims to this dessert's development.
The Palestinian Narrative:
Many scholars credit Palestinians with kunafa's creation, particularly in Nablus, where the dessert holds deep cultural significance. Palestinian kunafa represents not merely dessert but cultural identity, a sweet tied to land, tradition, and community. Making kunafa has been passed down through generations of Palestinian families, with mothers teaching daughters the precise techniques that transform simple ingredients into something transcendent.
The Broader Middle Eastern Context:
Across the Levant region, kunafa evolved alongside broader Middle Eastern culinary development. Ottoman influences, Persian inspirations, and local innovations created regional variations that reflect each area's ingredients and preferences. Lebanese kunafa gained international recognition through diaspora communities. Egyptian kunafa developed its own distinct character. Yet all variations share kunafa's fundamental essence.
Historical Timeline:
Kunafa appears in medieval Arabic cookbooks, suggesting origins reaching back centuries. Ottoman records mention kunafa as a luxurious sweet associated with celebrations and special occasions. By the 19th and 20th centuries, kunafa had solidified as a beloved dessert across the Middle East, with regional variations developing distinct reputations.
The Viral Rise: How Kunafa Became Inescapable
Photo Credit: Canva
We witnessed it happen in real time. Around 2023, Kunafa transitioned from beloved regional sweet to global viral sensation. But how did this happen so suddenly and so completely?
The Dubai Effect:
Dubai's luxury dessert culture played a crucial role. High-end restaurants and dessert establishments began creating premium kunafa versions, often with extravagant presentations and unexpected ingredient additions. These creations attracted food influencers, travel bloggers, and Instagram personalities who documented everything.
Social Media Amplification:
TikTok and Instagram created perfect conditions for kunafa's explosion. The dessert's visual appeal, that satisfying contrast between crispy exterior and gooey interior, photographs beautifully and films even better. Kunafa videos have accumulated billions of views. The sound of crispy dough cracking, the melted cheese flowing, the syrup being poured—it's inherently satisfying content.
The Remix Culture:
Food creators began reimagining kunafa. Kunafa croissants. Kunafa ice cream. Kunafa pancakes. Kunafa dessert pizzas. Some were genuinely delicious innovations. Others were culinary chaos. Yet all contributed to kunafa's omnipresence in food media.
Celebrity Endorsement:
When celebrities and major food brands began featuring kunafa, it crossed from niche trending topic to mainstream phenomenon. Suddenly, kunafa appeared everywhere—on café menus, in home delivery apps, in supermarket freezer sections.
The Unintended Consequences:
Here's where we need to acknowledge something uncomfortable. Kunafa's popularity caused global pistachio shortages and dramatic price increases. The dessert's traditional topping requires premium pistachios, and increased demand overwhelmed supply chains. Pistachio prices spiked by over 50 per cent in some markets. As comedian Rohan Joshi hilariously ranted, kunafa consumption began feeling irresponsible, contributing to genuine agricultural and economic disruptions.
We didn't anticipate this. A beloved dessert's newfound popularity actually threatened the very ingredients that made it special. It's a cautionary tale about viral trends and unintended global consequences.
Global Trends: Where We've Taken Kunafa (And Why)
We need to talk about what's actually happening with kunafa globally, because some trends are genuinely innovative, whilst others border on questionable.
Legitimate Evolution:
Kunafa's adaptation to different culinary contexts represents genuine innovation. Turkish chefs are incorporating local cheese varieties. Lebanese-American restaurateurs are adapting kunafa for North American palates. These represent respectful evolution honouring traditional roots whilst accepting contemporary context.
The Questionable Additions:
Then we have kunafa chocolate versions, kunafa burger buns, and kunafa flavoured coffee creamer. Some are genuinely delicious. Others feel like brands are adding kunafa simply because it trends, regardless of whether it makes culinary sense. Something is unsettling about watching a deeply traditional dessert become a marketing trend applied to products that have nothing fundamentally to do with it.
Premium Luxury Market:
High-end restaurants have embraced kunafa as a prestige dessert. Michelin-starred establishments feature kunafa variations. Luxury hotels include kunafa in their dessert selections. This represents kunafa's integration into formal culinary culture, which feels appropriate given the dessert's inherent elegance and complexity.
Home Recreation Movement:
Perhaps most interestingly, kunafa inspired a massive home cooking movement. People worldwide began attempting to make kunafa at home, learning about Middle Eastern ingredients, exploring regional variations, and engaging genuinely with kunafa's cultural heritage rather than merely consuming it.
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How We Make Kunafa: The Complete Recipe
After researching, testing, and frankly, making countless batches, here's our approach to authentic kunafa at home.
Traditional Palestinian Cheese Kunafa
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 500g kunafa dough (shredded phyllo pastry, available in Middle Eastern grocers)
- 200g ghee or clarified butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
For the filling:
- 400g akkawi cheese (or halloumi, mozzarella, or ricotta blend) at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons of sugar mixed with the filling
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional but traditional)
- 1 tablespoon crushed pistachios
For the syrup:
- 500ml water
- 400g sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon rose water or orange blossom water
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
For garnish:
- 3-4 tablespoons crushed pistachios
- Fresh mint leaves
Method:
Prepare the syrup first (it must cool before using):
Combine water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and cinnamon stick. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 8-10 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, add rose or orange blossom water, and allow to cool completely to room temperature. The syrup must be cool when poured over hot kunafa.
Prepare the cheese filling:
Shred cheese into fine strands or crumble finely. Mix with sugar and orange blossom water. Set aside. The filling should be at room temperature when assembled.
Prepare the kunafa dough:
Gently loosen the shredded kunafa dough by separating strands with your fingers. In a bowl, combine kunafa dough with melted ghee and 1 tablespoon sugar, mixing gently until all strands are evenly coated. Don't overwork the dough; maintain the delicate strand structure.
Assemble:
In a round baking dish (approximately 25-30cm), layer half the ghee-coated kunafa dough, pressing gently to create an even base. Spread cheese filling evenly over this base, leaving approximately 2cm border around edges. Layer remaining kunafa dough on top, again pressing gently. The top should be golden and evenly distributed.
Bake:
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes until the top becomes golden brown. The dough should appear crispy, and the cheese should become melted beneath (you might see slight leakage around edges, which is normal). Watch carefully in the final minutes to prevent burning.
The crucial step:
Remove kunafa from the oven. Immediately pour cooled syrup evenly over the hot kunafa. The contrast between hot pastry and cool syrup is essential to kunafa's character. The syrup will be absorbed gradually, creating a moist interior contrasting with a crispy exterior.
Serve:
Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish generously with crushed pistachios and fresh mint. Cut into triangular or square portions and serve warm. Kunafa is best enjoyed immediately whilst the contrast between textures remains optimal.
Our Personal Take: Why We Love Kunafa (And Why We're Conflicted)
We need to be honest here. Kunafa represents something genuinely beautiful and genuinely complicated simultaneously.
Photo Credit: Canva
What We Genuinely Adore:
The dessert itself is remarkable. That precise balance between crispy, chewy, soft, and gooey textures. The way sugar syrup creates contrasts of temperature and moisture. The visual appeal and Instagram aesthetic that isn't manufactured but inherent to kunafa's construction. Most importantly, kunafa represents cultural heritage, traditional techniques, and genuine culinary artistry.
What Makes Us Uncomfortable:
The viral commodification of kunafa troubles us. Watching a culturally significant dessert become a marketing gimmick applied indiscriminately to unrelated products feels disrespectful. The pistachio shortage and price crisis highlight how viral trends create real-world disruptions. Some kunafa variations feel like cynical trend-chasing rather than genuine culinary exploration.
What We've Learned:
The kunafa phenomenon teaches us about cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation. Genuine appreciation involves learning origins, understanding context, respecting traditions, and creating thoughtful variations. Appropriation involves extracting only the trendy elements whilst ignoring cultural significance.
We believe kunafa's global popularity, despite its complications, represents an opportunity. When people enjoy kunafa, they should ideally learn about Palestinian and Lebanese culinary traditions, understand historical context, and perhaps support regional communities benefiting from this international interest. The dessert becomes a gateway to cultural understanding.
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Final Thoughts
Kunafa is genuinely delicious, genuinely complex, and genuinely worthy of the attention it's received. Its viral popularity, despite complications, has introduced millions to Middle Eastern culinary traditions and created opportunities for regional producers. Yet we must consume kunafa consciously, appreciating its heritage, respecting its origins, and enjoying it thoughtfully rather than reflexively. The dessert deserves better than becoming a mere trend, yet it also deserves celebration for representing a beautiful culinary tradition. We'll continue enjoying kunafa, making it at home, seeking authentic versions, and hopefully, helping others understand why this centuries-old sweet deserves respect alongside its Instagram popularity.