Basbousa Explained

Basbousa
Alternate Name:Harisa
Region:Middle East, Balkans and North Africa
Place Of Origin:Arab world
Type:Dessert
Served:Cold or warm
Main Ingredient:Semolina or farina, syrup

Basbousa is a sweet, syrup-soaked semolina Arab dessert[1] [2] [3] popular throughout the Arab world, Middle East and North Africa.[4] The semolina batter is baked in a sheet pan,[5] then sweetened with sugar syrup and typically cut into diamond (lozenge) shapes or squares.

History

The Oxford Companion to Food (3rd edition) suggests that basbousa might have developed from a dish called ma'mounia, which was created around the 9th century Abbasid period.[6] Ma'mounia was made by cooking rice in fat and syrup. This recipe was later adapted to use semolina, with the batter being cooked first and then soaked in syrup.[7] According to food historian Gil Marks it is possible that semolina syrup cakes evolved from toasted semolina sweets like suji halva, as pastries and puddings in the middle east typically used semolina.

A recipe for revani (ota|روانى) can be found in the 1844 Ottoman Turkish cookbook Melceü't-Tabbâhîn, it calls for baking a mixure of semolina, butter, sugar, and eggs in an oven then soaking it in sugar syrup and cutting it in "baklava shapes."[8] [9] [10]

An 1890 Ottoman Turkish to English dictionary by British lexicographer James Redhouse defined rewani (ota|رواني) as "A kind of sponge-cake", it also defined rewaniji as a seller of said cake.[11]

Names

It is found in the cuisines of the Middle East, the Balkans and North Africa under a variety of names.[12]

Basbousa is the most common name for this dessert in the Middle East but it may be named differently depending on the region; it is often called "hareesa" in the Levant.[16] [17] Note that "harissa" in North Africa is a spicy red sauce.[18] It is a popular dessert offered in many sweets bakeries in the Middle East and especially popular during Ramadan.

Şambali is also referred to as "Damascus dessert" or "Damascus honey". Şam in Turkish means "Damascus".[19]

Basbousa is believed by some derive its name from a colloquial Arabic expression meaning "just a kiss" (Arabic: بس بوسة).[20] [21] [22]

The Turkish revani is derived from the Persian word for oil or butter (Persian: روغن).[23] [24] However, some claim that revani is derived from "Revan"; the Turkish name for Yerevan, and that the dessert was made to commomerate the Ottoman conquest of Yerevan by Sultan Murad IV.[25] [26]

Variations

Many variations of syrup-soaked semolina paste can be found in the Middle East; common ingredients include coconut, rose water, citrus, among many others.[27]

Some denser versions also include eggs, modern versions include baking powder.

Some common versions are:

a Levantine and Egyptian variation of basbousa filled with qishta (milk clotted cream) in the middle.[29]

Palestinian variant of basbousa flavored with nigella seeds paste called Qizha.[35]

Palestinian variant of basbousa flavoured with fenugreek seeds.[37]

Similar to revani, made with syrup, yogurt and semolina, it is popular in Greece and İzmir.[47] [48] [49]

See also

References

Works cited

Notes and References

  1. Book: Salloum, Habeeb . Sweet Delights from a Thousand and One Nights: The Story of Traditional Arab Sweets . I.B. Tauris . 2013 . 9780857733412 . Basbousa is among the well-known traditional sweets of Arab cuisine, prepared from semolina and soaked in syrup. . 2026-01-11.
  2. Book: Food Culture in the Middle East . Brill . 2012 . 9789004215030 . Semolina-based syrup desserts are characteristic of Arab cuisine in Egypt and the Levant..
  3. Mohammed . A. T. . Ahmed . E. F. . Abd El-Moneim . E. A. . 2018 . Utilization of broken rice, corn and sweet lupin flour for production of gluten-free basbousa . Current Science International . 7 . 4 . 576–589 . 2026-01-11 . Basbousa or semolina cake is a traditional Arabian dessert, very popular in certain countries..
  4. Web site: Sudan's Sweet Guilty Pleasure: Basbousa . 2025-02-19 . The Ethnic Store Ltd . en.
  5. Web site: Arabic Dessert . 2015-01-14 . 2015-02-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150208224131/http://www.nestle-family.com/recipes/english/by-course-or-type-desserts-arabic-desserts_Basbousa_9214.aspx . dead .
  6. Book: Davidson, Alan . The Oxford Companion to Food . Oxford University Press . 2014 . 9780199677334 . Ma'mounia . A sweet dish of grain cooked with fat and sugar or honey, named after the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun (r. 813–833)..
  7. Book: Davidson . Alan . The Oxford companion to food . Jaine . Tom . Vannithone . Soun . 2014 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-967733-7 . 3rd . New York, NY.
  8. Book: Kâmil . Mehmet . Melce'üt-tabbâhı̂n . 2016 . Çiya Yayınları . 978-605-61709-5-9 . 96 . 28 December 2025 . tr.
  9. Book: كامل . محمد . ملجأ الطبّاخين . 1844 . 28 December 2025 . tr.
  10. Book: Efendi . Turab . Turkish cookery book, a collection of receipts . 1864 . 49 . 28 December 2025 . en . rewani.
  11. Book: Redhouse. James W.. A turkish and english Lexicon shewing in english the significations of the turkish terms: Printed for the American Mission by A. H. Boyajian. 1890. Boyajian. 991. 27 December 2025. en.
  12. Web site: Abitbol. Vera. 2019-09-25. Syria: Basbousa. 2020-10-04. 196 flavors. en-US.
  13. Web site: Kalon prama or Shamali Cyprus Food Museum . Cyprus Food Museum . 5 November 2025 . en.
  14. Book: Marks . Gil . Gil Marks . Encyclopedia of Jewish Food . 17 November 2010 . HMH . 978-0-544-18631-6 . 13 November 2025 . en . Tishpishti.
  15. News: Revani (Turkish Semolina Cake) Recipe - Guy Ben Harosh . 26 September 2025 . Asif Culinary Institute.
  16. News: Datian . Christine Vartanian . Recipe Corner: Syrian Nut Cake (H’risseh) . 25 September 2025 . The Armenian Mirror-Spectator . 15 February 2024.
  17. News: النمورة حلوى من التراث الفلسطينى بالفيديو لابو جوليا . 25 September 2025 . Gomhuria . 25 September 2021 . Arabic . Namoura, a Palestinian heritage dessert, video by Abu Julia.
  18. News: Kleiman . Evan . At the world's largest Syrian refugee camp, food… . 13 November 2025 . . 4 October 2024 . en.
  19. News: Tureng - şam - Turkish English Dictionary . 13 November 2025 . Tureng . en.
  20. News: Recipe: Spinach Basbousa . 14 November 2025 . TimesKuwait . 17 April 2022.
  21. News: "صوابع زينب" و"أم علي".. ما السر وراء الأكلات ذات المسمى الأنثوي؟ . 14 November 2025 . Kelmetna . 26 September 2022 . ar . "Zainab's Fingers" and "Umm Ali"... What is the secret behind dishes with feminine names?.
  22. Web site: A ‘Kiss From the Past’: Semolina Cakes . Asif Culinary Institute . 14 November 2025.
  23. Web site: Türk Dil Kurumu Sözlük . sozluk.gov.tr . 28 December 2025 . tr.
  24. Web site: revani . Nişanyan Sözlük . 28 December 2025 . tr.
  25. Web site: Umphlet . Caroline . 2022-06-22 . If You Haven't Tried this Egyptian Sweet, You're Missing Out - Basbousa Recipe . 2024-03-20 . Arab America . en.
  26. News: Antonopoulos . Paul . "They are stealing our cuisine": Turks outraged over Greek sweets on Taste Atlas - But what's the truth? Greek City Times . 13 November 2025 . Greek City Times . 22 September 2025.
  27. Web site: Ottolenghi . Yotam . Yotam Ottolenghi . Semolina, Coconut & Marmalade Cake . TASTE . 14 September 2025. Contains excerpts from
  28. Web site: 2021-10-09 . Aunt Zaneb's Semolina Cake Recipe . 2022-02-28 . Easy Recipes . en-US . 2022-02-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220228055225/https://www.recipegoulash.com/recipes/aunt-zanebs-semolina-cake-recipe/ . dead .
  29. Web site: Mansour . Nermine . Basbousa Bel Ashta (Semolina Cake With Ashta Cream Filling) . Serious Eats . 5 June 2025 . en . 25 Apr 2025.
  30. Web site: Basbousa bil tamr Traditional Cake From Libya . . 9 November 2025.
  31. Web site: Libyan Cuisine . Libyan Heritage House . 9 November 2025.
  32. News: Tishpishti (Citrus Semolina Cake) . 2024-03-21 . Washington Post . en.
  33. רשליקה - Rashelika - ניחוח המטבח הירושלמי ספרדי המסורתי. 1999. pp. 82-87
  34. Web site: Tishpishti - Recipe . 2024-08-31 . . en-US.
  35. News: Berger . Miriam . Is the world ready for this Palestinian dish? . 5 June 2025 . www.bbc.com . 28 March 2019.
  36. News: Post-Gazette . Arthi Subramaniam Pittsburgh . Find a piece of heaven in the syrup-drenched revani . 13 November 2025 . The Virgin Islands Daily News . 3 May 2016 . en.
  37. News: el-Haddad . Laila . Laila el-Haddad . Fenugreek Olive Oil Cake (Saniyit Hulba) . The Washington Post . en.
  38. News: تعرفى على طريقة تحضير اليانسونية الفلسطينية(هريسة اليانسون) - جريدة المساء . 7 December 2025 . . 17 April 2025 . ar . Learn how to prepare Palestinian yansooniyeh (anise harissa).
  39. News: طريقة عمل اليانسونية . 7 December 2025 . Jordan Records . 27 March 2021 . ar.
  40. News: اليانسونية الفلسطينية . 7 December 2025 . alwasat.ly . 5 Feb 2022 . ar . Palestinian anise.
  41. News: Selami . Rezarta . Shendetlie, un dolce tipico albanese al miele . 2 December 2025 . Albania News . 17 February 2012 . it-IT.
  42. Book: Webb . Lois Sinaiko . Cardella . Lindsay Grace . Jacob . Jeanne . International Cookbook of Life-Cycle Celebrations . 14 September 2018 . Bloomsbury Publishing USA . 978-1-61069-016-4 .
  43. News: Mediterranean desserts tickle taste buds in Paris . 14 September 2025 . Arab News . 16 April 2023 . en.
  44. News: From Algeria, a Camden Street Ramadan Treat . 14 September 2025 . Dublin InQuirer . 8 July 2015 . en.
  45. Web site: Raslan . Farah . Pistachio Hareesa Nabqia Recipe - Farah Raslan . Asif . 25 September 2025.
  46. News: مذاق يتوارثه الأجيال.. "الهريسة النبكية" تحتفظ بجاذبيتها في ريف دمشق - فيديو . 25 September 2025 . Roya News . 29 September 2023 . A taste passed down through generations... "Nabkiya Harissa" retains its appeal in the Damascus countryside - video.
  47. News: İzmir'in ayaküstü tatlısı: Şambali . 5 October 2025 . Anadolu Agency.
  48. News: Σάμαλι, το απόλυτο νηστίσιμο γλυκό! ΣΥΝΤΑΓΗ . 5 October 2025 . Gastronomos.gr . el.
  49. Web site: Şambali Traditional Dessert From İzmir TasteAtlas . Taste Atlas . 5 October 2025.

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