Dessert · Cheese pastry

Knafeh

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Jordan's best-known version, knafeh nabulsieh, is named after the West Bank city of Nablus and made with its white, brined Nabulsi cheese; the bright orange crust usually comes from added coloring.

A layer of warm, stretchy melted cheese is baked under shredded kataifi dough (or a fine semolina crust) until crisp, then soaked in sugar syrup and topped with crushed pistachios. Amman's sweets shops sell it cut into hot squares straight from wide round trays.

Why it's made this way: Knafeh has deep roots across the Levant, and in Jordan it became an everyday street and shop dessert because the combination of salty cheese and sweet syrup could be baked in bulk on flat trays and served fast to a steady stream of customers.