Qatayef
Middle Eastern dessert in the form of small pancakes stuffed with sweet filling
Qatayef, katayef, atayef or qata'if (Arabic: قطايف [qɑˈtˤɑ:jɪf]) is an Arabic dessert. It is a type of sweet dumpling filled with cream and nuts, or a filled folded pancake with a thickness similar to a Scottish crumpet. It is prepared by pouring batter onto a hot surface, cooking it on one side, it is then stuffed, folded, and then fried, baked, or eaten fresh.
In many Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan and Egypt, qatayef is regarded as a seasonal specialty tied closely to Ramadan, appearing in markets and bakeries almost exclusively for the duration of that month. It is eaten daily after iftar and sometimes at suhoor, making it one of the most anticipated festive sweets of the Ramadan season.
Etymology
The Arabic word qaṭaːyif (Arabic: قطايف) is derived from the Arabic root q-ṭ-f, meaning to pick up or to pluck. In Ottoman Turkish, the name yassi kadayif (lit. 'flat qatayif') came into use to differentiate between tel kadayıf (lit. 'hair qatayif', known as knafeh in Arabic) and the pancake known in Arabic as qatayef.
History
Although some believe that qatayef originated in the Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171), their history dates back to the Abbasid Caliphate, 750–1258 CE. Qatayef was mentioned in a 10th century Arabic cookbook dating back to the Abbasid Caliphate by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq called Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ (Arabic: كتاب الطبيخ, The Book of Dishes). The book also contained a recipe titled "Qatayef that were made for Harun al-Rashid"; an 8th century Caliph (786 – 809).
In Europe, qatayef is mentioned as cataif in the 13th-century Latin cookbook Liber de ferculis.
“Qatayef” enters the record as middle Eastern dessert in the form of small pancakes stuffed with sweet filling. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Qatayef, Middle and Eastern can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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