Dessert · Cheese pastry
Knafeh
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The bright orange color doesn't come from food dye — it's traditionally from a natural coloring agent baked into the shredded pastry topping.
A layer of warm, stretchy melted cheese is sandwiched under shredded phyllo (or a semolina-based layer), baked 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.
Roughly what's in it
450kcal
12gprotein
55gcarbs
20gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.
More from Jordan
Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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Photo credits.