SweetloreEncyclopedia of World Sweets (534）
Znoud el Sit
Znoud el sit
Crossing and Rolling Thin Pastry
Fried Sweets ／ Lebanon, Syria, Iraq
When you bite into the thin pastry, it breaks with a crisp crunch, revealing a milk cream inside. Znoud el sit is a long, slender fried pastry enjoyed in the Levant, Iraq, and elsewhere. Sweet syrup and pistachios add aroma and color to the fried pastry.
Crossing and Rolling Thin Pastry
In one home method, strips of phyllo dough are laid in a cross, and ashta is placed in the center. First, the left and right ends are folded inward, and then the other strip is rolled up into a tube. Once the seam is sealed and the roll is fried, the many layers of pastry turn golden and take on a light texture. After frying, the rolls are briefly dipped in flower-scented syrup and sprinkled with crushed pistachios.
One example of ashta is made by cooking milk and cream with cornstarch and letting it cool. Thickening it makes it easier to wrap in the thin pastry, and in the mouth, the softness of the dairy contrasts with the texture of the fried pastry. In another method, milk is curdled with acid and drained, then combined with a milk cream cooked with starch. Ashta is not only a smooth cream; some ashta contains curds. Some recipes add a little semolina, and the methods for making the dairy filling vary. The length of time the pastry is soaked in syrup also changes the sweetness and texture of the outside. A recipe from the tea company Ahmad Tea includes an example in which cream cheese is cut into cubes and rolled in the pastry.
On Ramadan Nights
In Lebanese sweet shops, it can also be found as a sweet eaten when breaking the Ramadan fast. Some cooks share memories of the pastries their grandmothers fried at home. A 2015 food article about a visit to a sweet shop in Tripoli describes a plate of pastries filled with ashta made in the shop and served while still warm. In this shop’s version, the fried pastry was coated in syrup and topped with a scattering of pistachios.
The name means “lady’s arms,” but there are several stories about how it got this name, and its origin cannot be determined with certainty.
Tamriyeh, which likewise wraps a filling in thin dough, is a sweet from Nablus made with a semolina filling and powdered sugar. Comparing their fillings and finishes shows how similar techniques can produce different flavors.
Glossary
- Phyllo dough
- A dough made from wheat flour and other ingredients and stretched extremely thin.
- Ashta
- A rich milk cream used in Levantine sweets. At home, it is sometimes made by cooking milk with starch or other thickeners.
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