From refreshing cold desserts to tea-time treats, here are six Arab snacks to try this summer.
Rice pudding
This cold dessert, called “roz bi haleeb” in Arabic, is a champion of Middle Eastern desserts. It is made with rice, milk and sugar and can be topped with your favorite nuts.
Mahalabia
Mahalabia is a Middle Eastern milk pudding made with milk, sugar, and cornstarch, flavored with rose water and garnished with nuts.
Layali lubnan
This Lebanese pudding is made from semolina, crushed wheat, rose water and vanilla. It is covered with cream, garnished with nuts or dried fruit and served with sugar syrup.
Maamoul
Shaped in the form of domes, these buttery, crumbly shortbread cookies are stuffed with dates, walnuts, pistachios, sugar and rosewater.
Stuffed dates
Stuffed dates with goat’s cheese and nuts are an easy, nutritious treat, perfect for tea time or as part of a tapas spread. For a refreshing twist, add pistachio ice cream in the middle instead.
Pistachio cake with mahalabia cream
To make an Arab-inspired molten chocolate cake with ice cream, try a pistachio cake filled with cold mahalabia cream in the center.
