View source for Qatayef

{{short description|Pancake dumplings}}
{{Redirect|Katayef||Outline of katayif}}
{{about||the pastry dough|Kadayif}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Qatayef
| image = قطايف عصافيري2.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = 
| alternate_name = 
| country = [[Middle East]]
| region = [[Egypt]], [[Levant]]
| creator = 
| course = 
| type = [[Dumpling]], [[pancake]]
| served = 
| main_ingredient = Cream, or a mixture of [[hazelnut]]s, [[walnut]]s, [[almond]]s, [[pistachio]]s, [[raisin]]s, [[powdered sugar]], [[vanilla extract]], and [[cinnamon]]
| variations = 
| calories = 
| other = 
}}
[[File:Qatayef3.jpg|thumb|Assorted Qatayef]]
'''Qatayef''' or '''qata'if''' ({{langx|ar|قطايف}} {{IPA|ar|qɑˈtˤɑ:jɪf|}}) is an [[Arab cuisine|Arabic dessert]]. It is a type of sweet [[dumpling]] filled with cream or nuts, or a filled folded [[pancake]] with a thickness similar to a Scottish [[crumpet]].

==Etymology==
The [[Arabic]] word ''qaṭaːyif'' ({{langx|ar|[[wikt:قطايف|قطايف]]}}) is derived from the Arabic root ''q-ṭ-f'', meaning to pick up or to pluck.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Freytag |first1=Georg |title=Lexicon Arabico-Latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus, adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris, confectum |date=1830 |publisher=C. A. Schwetschke et filium |page=468 |edition=Vol.1 |url=https://archive.org/stream/lexiconarabicola03freyuoft#page/n475/mode/2up}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Badawi |first1=Al-Saïd |last2=Abdel-Haleem |first2=Muhammad |title=Arabic - English Dictionary of Qurʾanic Usage |year=2008 |publisher=BRILL |page=767 |isbn=978-9004149489 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mclrIKdye5QC&q=%D9%82%D8%B7%D9%81+to+pluck&pg=PA767}}</ref>

==Origin==
Qatayef is believed to be of [[Fatimid]] origin.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://eng-archive.aawsat.com/theaawsat/lifestyle-culture/the-ramadan-experience-in-egypt |title=The Ramadan Experience in Egypt |access-date=2018-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507025216/https://eng-archive.aawsat.com/theaawsat/lifestyle-culture/the-ramadan-experience-in-egypt |archive-date=2019-05-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some believe that qatayef are the creation of the Fatimid Dynasty, however, their history dates back to the [[Abbasid Caliphate]], 750–1258 CE.<ref>{{cite web |title=The sweet history of Qatayef |url=http://en.royanews.tv/news/14238/2018-05-14 |website=Roya news |access-date=26 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=In Gaza, Qatayef tradition thrives during Ramadan |url=https://gulfnews.com/news/mena/palestine/in-gaza-qatayef-tradition-thrives-during-ramadan-1.2044327 |website=GULF NEWS |access-date=26 August 2018}}</ref> Qatayef was mentioned in a tenth century Arabic cookbook dating back to the Abbasid Caliphate by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq called ''Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ'' ({{langx|ar|كتاب الطبيخ}}, ''The Book of Dishes''). The book was later translated by [[Nawal Nasrallah]] under the name ''Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Warrāq |first1=Ibn Sayyār |last2=Nasrallah |first2=Nawal |title=Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens: Ibn Sayyār Al-Warrāq's Tenth-century Baghdadi Cookbook |date=Nov 26, 2007 |publisher=BRILL |page=422 |isbn=978-9004158672 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dUC-e-l3XM8C&q=making+crepes+with+sugar+Almonds+walnuts+and+pine+nuts |access-date=30 August 2018}}</ref> The traditional stuffing of Qatayef, as evident in a number of Medieval Arabic cookbooks, is crushed almond and sugar. In these recipes, once the pancake was stuffed, it would sometimes be fried in walnut oil or baked in the oven.<ref>{{Cite web |title=الوصفة العربية {{!}} طريقة عمل القطايف |url=https://www.arabianrecipe.com/%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%82%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%b7%d8%a7%d9%8a%d9%81/ |access-date=2022-04-09 |language=ar}}</ref> Qatayef was traditionally prepared by street vendors as well as households in [[Egypt]] and the [[Levant]]. It is usually filled with [[akkawi]] cheese, crushed walnuts, as well as crushed pistachios. Modern variations, with fillings such as [[Nutella]], are also consumed.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=A5HkylcAkxoC&dq=kunafa+egypt&pg=PA48 Sadat, Jehan (2002).  A Woman of Egypt. Simon & Schuster. p. 48.]</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2unDlVK_AzEC&q=kunafa+egypt&pg=PA290|title=The Pure and Powerful: Studies in Contemporary Muslim Society|last=Abu-Zahra|first=Nadia|date=1999|publisher=Ithaca Press|isbn=9780863722691|language=en}}</ref>

==Tradition==
[[Arab Muslims]] commonly serve it during the month of [[Ramadan]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Naanou|first1=Paul|last2=Rhodes|first2=Sam|title=Cultural Connections: Exploring the Mathematics of Qatayef|journal=Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12|volume=113|issue=12|year=2020|pages=1034–1038|issn=0025-5769|doi=10.5951/MTLT.2020.0164|s2cid=230629195}}</ref>
[[Arab Christians]] also eat it during some celebrations.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}

==Preparation==
Qatayef is the general name of the dessert as a whole and, more specifically, the [[Batter (cooking)|batter]]. 
It is usually made out of flour, baking powder, water, yeast, and sometimes sugar. The result of the batter being poured onto a round [[hot plate]] appears similar to pancakes, except only one side is cooked, then stuffed and folded. To make  Qatayef Satati (deep fried) The pastry is filled with either unsalted sweet cheese a mixture of any of hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, raisins, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, rose extract, and cinnamon. It is then deep fried or, alternatively, baked and served with a hot sweet [[syrup]] or sometimes honey. The other way of serving qatayef is by filling it with whipped cream or ''[[qishta]]'' (قشطة), folding it halfway, and serving it with scented syrup without frying or baking. This way of serving is called ''assafiri qatayef'' (قطايف عصافيري).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://egyptian-cuisine-recipes.com/recipes/desserts/qatayef-with-nuts.html|title=Qatayef with nuts قطايف بالمكسرات {{!}} Egyptian Cuisine and Recipes|website=egyptian-cuisine-recipes.com|language=en|access-date=2018-03-14}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Food}}
*[[List of Middle Eastern dishes]]
*[[Mandugwa]], a similar Korean dessert
*[[Knafeh]]
*[[Stuffed dates]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Dumplings}}
{{Africa topic |title=[[African cuisine]] |prefix=Cuisine of}}
{{Cuisine of Egypt}}
{{Cuisine of Lebanon}}
{{Middle East topic |title=[[Middle Eastern cuisine]] |prefix=Cuisine of}}
{{Cuisine of the Levant}}

[[Category:Arab desserts]]
[[Category:Dumplings]]
[[Category:Egyptian cuisine]]
[[Category:Iraqi cuisine]]
[[Category:Jordanian cuisine]]
[[Category:Lebanese cuisine]]
[[Category:Palestinian desserts]]
[[Category:Syrian cuisine]]
[[Category:Stuffed desserts]]
[[Category:Iftar foods]]
[[Category:Deep fried foods]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern cuisine]]
[[Category:Ramadan]]