During the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims are required to fast every day from dawn till sunset. A pre-dawn meal is common and breaking of the fast at sundown is usually done with dates and milk to imitate how prophet Muhammad (PBUH) broke his fast. Later, this is followed by a fuller meal known as the ‘iftar’ which is usually heavy and consists mainly of sweet and savory treats.

Sweets make up the last and pivotal part of the meal adding on wholesomeness, a whole lot of flavor and last but not the least its indelible footprint on the taste buds. Some of the common sweets that tops the lists here includes umm ali, kunafa, tulumba, basbousa, baklava and my personal favorite luqaimat / lokma.

1.Kunafa – the Queen of Arabic desserts

Kunafa is a traditional Arab dessert made with spun pastry dough layered with soft sweet cheese,such as Nabulsi cheese and is soaked in a thick, sweet and sugary syrup called ‘attar’. A few drops of rose water or orange blossom water are additionally poured on the pastry. The top layer is tinted red or orange and crushed pistachios are often sprinkled as garnish.

This sweet food is commonly seen on the tables of nobles, hence it is thought as food for the caliphs. Some say it originated from the Nablus in the 15th century while there are other sources stating that the history of kunafa can be traced back to the Umayyad Dynasty.

2.Baklava – the Most Popular Arab sweet dish

It is a layered dessert made alternatively of filo pastry and some crunchy chopped nuts. The dough is cut into regular pieces, often into parallelograms, triangles, diamonds or rectangles. After baking, a syrup which may include honey, rosewater or orange flower water is poured over the cooked baklava and allowed to soak.

Though some evidence suggests that baklava originated during the ancient period, then evolved in Turkey and the Ottoman Empire, there are still a bunch of scholars that believe baklava is from Persia.

3.Basbousa – the Egyptian syrup cake

It is rich and dense cake made with semolina and coconut, infused with rose or orange blossom flavoured sugar syrup. The semolina batter is baked in a pan, then sweetened with sugar syrup and typically cut into diamonds or squares. It can be topped with some finely chopped nuts as well as dry fruits.

Basbousa is believed to have developed from a dish called ma'mounia, which was created around the 10th century. Another take on its origin suggests that basbousa was first made during the 16th century in the Ottoman Empire to celebrate the conquest of Armenia.

4.Tulumba / Balah El Sham – the Dates of Syria

It is a deep-fried dessert soaked in syrup and is similar to jalebis or churros. It is made from unleavened choux pastry dough and piped with a pastry bag. It is first deep-fried to golden colour and later on a sugar-sweet syrup is poured over it when still hot.

The history of the Tulumba dessert dates back to the Ottoman Empire and has its roots in the 15th century Ottoman cuisine.

5.Luqaimat/ Lokma- MY FAVOURITE

It is a dessert made of leavened and deep fried dough balls, soaked in syrup or honey and sometimes coated with cinnamon or other ingredients. The thick and smooth yeast batter rises and has a very soft and foamy consistency. The batter is usually dropped into hot oil and fried to a golden brown color. Some are even doughnut-shaped.

It was cooked by palace cooks in the Ottoman Empire for centuries and influenced by cuisines of the former countries of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans, Middle East and the Caucasus.

6.Umm Ali / Om Ali- the National Dessert of Egypt

It is a pastry which is divided into pieces and blended with pistachios, coconut flakes, raisins and plenty of sugar. Milk, sometimes with cream, is poured over the mixture and is then sprinkled with cinnamon. Finally, the mixture is baked in the oven until the surface is golden brown. It can be compared easily to a bread and butter pudding.

The dish is traced back to as far as Medieval Egypt and is named after the wife of the Sultan of Egypt. Om Ali celebrated the death of her husband, Aybak, and asked the cooks to come up with the most delicious dessert. The cooks used what was at hand: bread, milk and sugar.

To sum it all up, as we engage ourselves in strict fasting and communal prayers, let us hope that Ramadan 2025 brings about immense spiritual reflection and contentment as we praise, glorify and humble ourselves before God Almighty in selfless devotion and prayer.