Maamoul: An Ancient Cookie That Ushers In Easter And Eid In The Middle East : The Salt : NPR

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Stuffed with date paste or nuts, this buttery cookie dates back to ancient Egypt.</b> </div> <div id="wrapper"> <header class="contentheader contentheader--one"><div class="branding branding--custom"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/"><picture><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/branding/sections/thesalt/branding_icon-d76e52abc19240eb928674dd91b71404f1945e2a-s1000-c100.webp" type="image/webp" data-format="webp" /><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/branding/sections/thesalt/branding_icon-d76e52abc19240eb928674dd91b71404f1945e2a-s1000-c100.png" type="image/png" /><img src="https://media.npr.org/branding/sections/thesalt/branding_icon-d76e52abc19240eb928674dd91b71404f1945e2a-s1000-c100.png" class="branding__image-icon" alt="The Salt" /></picture><div class="branding__inner"> <h2 class="branding__title branding__title--custom-text">The <b>Salt</b></h2> <b class="branding__mini-teaser">What's On Your Plate</b> </div>  </a> </div>  <div class="subnav-tools-wrap"> <div id="subNavigation" class="agglocation linkLocation" role="navigation" aria-label="sub-navigation"> <div id="res341873279" class="bucketwrap statichtml"> <div class="subtopics"> <ul class="animated fadeInRight"> <li><a href="/sections/thesalt/161357410/eating-and-health">Eating And Health</a></li> <li><a href="/sections/thesalt/161357400/foodways">Foodways</a></li> <li><a href="/sections/thesalt/161357402/producers">Producers</a></li> <li><a href="/sections/thesalt/161357412/food-for-thought">Food For Thought</a></li> <li><a href="/sections/thesalt/161357398/for-foodies">For Foodies</a></li> </ul></div><div class="roller-overlay"></div><ul class="subscribe"> <li class="twitter"><a href="https://twitter.com/NPRFood" data-metrics='{"action":"Click Twitter"}'>Twitter</a></li></ul> </div>  </div> </div> </header> <section id="main-section"><article class="story story-blogpost"><a id="mainContent"></a><div class="slug-wrap"> <h3 class="slug"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/161357400/foodways">Food History & Culture</a> </h3> </div> <div class="storytitle"> <h1>Maamoul: An Ancient Cookie That Ushers In Easter And Eid In The Middle East</h1> <input type="hidden" id="title522771745" value="Maamoul: An Ancient Cookie That Ushers In Easter And Eid In The Middle East" /> <input type="hidden" id="shortTitle522771745" value="Maamoul: An Ancient Cookie That Ushers In Easter And Eid In The Middle East" /> <input type="hidden" id="modelFullUrl522771745" value="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/04/11/522771745/maamoul-an-ancient-cookie-that-ushers-in-easter-and-eid-in-the-middle-east" /> </div>  <div id="story-meta" class="story-meta has-byline"> <div class="story-meta__one"> <div class="story-meta__one-inner"> <div class="dateblock"> <time datetime="2017-04-11T10:00:00-04:00"> <span class="date">April 11, 2017</span><span class="time">10:00 AM ET</span> </time> </div> </div>  </div>  <div class="story-meta__two"> <div id="storybyline" class="storybyline-wrap linkLocation"> <div class="bucketwrap byline"> <div class="byline-container--block"> <p class="byline__name--block">By </p> <div class="byline byline--block" aria-label="Byline"> <p class="byline__name byline__name--block"> Amy E. Robertson </p> </div> </div> </div>  </div> </div>  </div>  <div id="storytext" class="storytext storylocation linkLocation"> <div id="res523269232" class="bucketwrap image large"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1989; --source-height: 1186; " > <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=900&c=85&f=webp 900w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=1200&c=85&f=webp 1200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=webp 1600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=1800&c=85&f=webp 1800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=900&c=85&f=jpeg 900w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=1200&c=85&f=jpeg 1200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=jpeg 1600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=1800&c=85&f=jpeg 1800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="" fetchpriority="high" /> </picture> <div class="enlarge-options"> <a class="enlargelink" href="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg">Enlarge this image</a> </div> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> <p> <em>Maamoul</em>, a shortbread cookie stuffed with date paste or chopped walnuts or pistachios and dusted with powdered sugar, is the perfect reward after a month of fasting during Ramadan and Lent. These cookies are waiting to be baked. <b class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E. Robertson for NPR </b> <b class="hide-caption"><b>hide caption</b></b> </p> </div> <b class="toggle-caption"><b>toggle caption</b></b> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E. Robertson for NPR </span> </div> <div class="enlarge_measure"> <div class="img_wrap"> <picture> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=webp" type="image/webp"> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" type="image/jpeg"> <img data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul1_custom-ed10630053c7ec410453a0673c8745dc5877dee4.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" alt="" /> </picture> </div> </div> <div class="enlarge_html"> <div class="image_data"> <p class="caption"><em>Maamoul</em>, a shortbread cookie stuffed with date paste or chopped walnuts or pistachios and dusted with powdered sugar, is the perfect reward after a month of fasting during Ramadan and Lent. These cookies are waiting to be baked.</p> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E. Robertson for NPR </span> </div> </div> </div> <p>Be it Easter or Eid, holidays in the Levantine region of the Middle East are incomplete without a shortbread cookie called <em>maamoul</em>. Stuffed with date paste or chopped walnuts or pistachios, and dusted with powdered sugar, these buttery cookies are the perfect reward after a month of fasting during Ramadan or Lent.</p> <p>The dough is made with wheat flour or semolina (or a combination of the two), then pressed into special molds, traditionally carved in wood. And the fillings are fragrant with rosewater or orange blossom.</p> <aside id="ad-backstage-wrap" class="ad-wrap backstage" aria-label="advertisement"> <div class="ad-header "><span>Sponsor Message</span></div> <div id="ad-backstage-News" class="ad-config ad-backstage has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"n6735.NPR","mobile":"n6735.NPRMOBILE"},"zone":"News","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"false","storyId":"522771745","agg":["139941248"],"blog":"139941248"},"location":"backstage","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":true,"overflowCount":null,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":true}'></div> <div class="ad-footer "></div> </aside> <div id="res523270080" class="bucketwrap image medium"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1707; --source-height: 1280; " > <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=webp 1600w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 300px, (min-width: 1025px) 300px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=jpeg 1600w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 300px, (min-width: 1025px) 300px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </picture> <div class="enlarge-options"> <a class="enlargelink" href="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg">Enlarge this image</a> </div> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> <p> Traditionally carved wooden molds are used to give shape and form to the <em>maamoul </em>cookies. <b class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E. Robertson for NPR </b> <b class="hide-caption"><b>hide caption</b></b> </p> </div> <b class="toggle-caption"><b>toggle caption</b></b> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E. Robertson for NPR </span> </div> <div class="enlarge_measure"> <div class="img_wrap"> <picture> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=webp" type="image/webp"> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" type="image/jpeg"> <img data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoulmold-7ca3a8bae691467103ec111e34fd264899e00149.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" alt="" /> </picture> </div> </div> <div class="enlarge_html"> <div class="image_data"> <p class="caption">Traditionally carved wooden molds are used to give shape and form to the <em>maamoul </em>cookies.</p> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E. Robertson for NPR </span> </div> </div> </div> <p>In the weeks leading up to Easter, the Beirut sweet shop Helwayat Al-Salam becomes a veritable factory of <em>maamoul</em>. Owner Mitri Hanna Moussa dips pitted dates into rosewater, then passes them through a meat grinder to make a paste. Mitri's mother, Samira, a small, older woman with wrinkled hands but perfectly manicured nails, sits at a makeshift table sorting pistachios. She makes sure that neither a speck of shell nor a single shriveled pistachio makes its way into their renowned cookies. Once all ingredients are ready, Mitri and his assistant pinch off balls from their mountain of semolina dough. They<strong> </strong>shape the dough balls into small cups which they stuff with either date paste, pistachios or walnuts.</p> <p>Then, Samira presses each stuffed dough ball into an antique wooden mold, which she thwacks against a wooden stump to toss out a perfectly formed cookie, ready to be baked. In a matter of minutes, the three of them prepare dozens more.</p> <p>"I also make <em>maamoul</em> in the winter, but it's a must for Easter" says Mitri. In a country where many Christians give up dairy, sugar and meat during Lent, the 40-day period of penitence, the luxurious cookies are a welcome reward at Easter.</p> <div id="res523269493" class="bucketwrap image large"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1895; --source-height: 1304; " > <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=900&c=85&f=webp 900w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=1200&c=85&f=webp 1200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=webp 1600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=1800&c=85&f=webp 1800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=900&c=85&f=jpeg 900w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=1200&c=85&f=jpeg 1200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=jpeg 1600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=1800&c=85&f=jpeg 1800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </picture> <div class="enlarge-options"> <a class="enlargelink" href="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg">Enlarge this image</a> </div> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> <p> Owner of Helwayat Al-Salam, Mitri Hanna Moussa. Mitri's family has been making <em>maamoul</em> for decades – even before they had an oven to bake them in. <b class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E.Robertson for NPR </b> <b class="hide-caption"><b>hide caption</b></b> </p> </div> <b class="toggle-caption"><b>toggle caption</b></b> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E.Robertson for NPR </span> </div> <div class="enlarge_measure"> <div class="img_wrap"> <picture> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=webp" type="image/webp"> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" type="image/jpeg"> <img data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/mitri_custom-9f6daf1a9c990cb9352ac57585e3cd3d81df285c.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" alt="" /> </picture> </div> </div> <div class="enlarge_html"> <div class="image_data"> <p class="caption">Owner of Helwayat Al-Salam, Mitri Hanna Moussa. Mitri's family has been making <em>maamoul</em> for decades – even before they had an oven to bake them in.</p> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E.Robertson for NPR </span> </div> </div> </div> <p>Mitri says his father Hanna opened his sweet shop in 1949, on a busy corner in Achrafieh, a predominantly Christian quarter in Beirut. Back then, they didn't even own an oven. So the family would prepare the sweets in their shop and walk them over to the neighborhood baker for baking.</p> <aside id="ad-secondary-wrap" class="ad-wrap secondary" aria-label="advertisement"> <div class="ad-header "><span>Sponsor Message</span></div> <div id="ad-secondary-News" class="ad-config ad-secondary has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"NPRSecondary","mobile":"NPRMobileSecondary"},"zone":"News","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"false","storyId":"522771745","agg":["139941248"],"blog":"139941248"},"location":"secondary","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":true,"overflowCount":null,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":false}'></div> <div class="ad-footer "></div> </aside> <p>"My father bought our oven in 1973 or 1974, and it was already second-hand," Mitri says. Like the ramshackle building where Helwayat Al-Salam is housed, the oven bears the scars of Lebanon's civil war, which raged from 1975 to 1990. Mitri points to pock marks on his oven door. "That is from shrapnel," he says. "There were bombs even right on this same street." The family had taken refuge in a bomb shelter, but when they returned to the shop, glass was everywhere. "We cleaned up and we continued, because it was Easter, and that is very special for us."</p> <p>Mitri makes his <em>maamoul</em> with two kinds of semolina, and adds both rosewater and orange blossom to his walnut and pistachio fillings. He unleashes a blizzard of powdered sugar onto the nut-filled cookies before serving, but never on the date, "because it's already sweet."</p> <div id="res523271151" class="bucketwrap image medium"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1332; --source-height: 1924; " > <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=webp 1600w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 300px, (min-width: 1025px) 300px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=jpeg 1600w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 300px, (min-width: 1025px) 300px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </picture> <div class="enlarge-options"> <a class="enlargelink" href="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg">Enlarge this image</a> </div> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> <p> Sawsan Abu Farha, a Palestinian-Jordanian food blogger known as "Chef in Disguise," makes several versions of <em>maamoul, </em>usually<em> </em>to be served during Eid with Arabic coffee and chocolate. <b class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Courtesy of Sawsan Abu Farha </b> <b class="hide-caption"><b>hide caption</b></b> </p> </div> <b class="toggle-caption"><b>toggle caption</b></b> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Courtesy of Sawsan Abu Farha </span> </div> <div class="enlarge_measure"> <div class="img_wrap"> <picture> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=webp" type="image/webp"> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" type="image/jpeg"> <img data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/sawsan-m-abu-farha_custom-9e6f55ed740981727906741924d1f947c8fdda60.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" alt="" /> </picture> </div> </div> <div class="enlarge_html"> <div class="image_data"> <p class="caption">Sawsan Abu Farha, a Palestinian-Jordanian food blogger known as "Chef in Disguise," makes several versions of <em>maamoul, </em>usually<em> </em>to be served during Eid with Arabic coffee and chocolate.</p> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Courtesy of Sawsan Abu Farha </span> </div> </div> </div> <p>Palestinian-Jordanian food blogger <a href="https://chefindisguise.com/">Sawsan Abu Farha</a>, better known as "Chef in Disguise," makes several versions of <em>maamoul,</em> some with both semolina and wheat flour in the crust, others with wheat flour alone. She adds mastic, a sun-dried resin from trees, and <em>mahlab</em>, a spice made from the inner kernels of cherry pits, to her dough. "<em>Maamoul</em> is usually made a few days before Eid, then stored to be served with Arabic coffee and chocolate to the guests who come during the holiday," says Sawsan, who now lives in the United Arab Emirates<strong>.</strong> "Plates full of it are also exchanged as gifts between neighbors and relatives."</p> <p>Just as Easter follows Lent, Eid-al-Fitr is celebrated after Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. Eid lasts three days, and according to Sawsan, "Any house you go into during Eid has <em>maamoul</em>. It doesn't matter if it is homemade or store bought, it just has to be there. Of course, the ladies of the house get extra points if it is homemade and there is the yearly competition of who makes the best <em>maamoul</em> in the family. Recipes are exchanged, cookies are critiqued, it is all part of the Eid fun."</p> <aside id="ad-third-wrap" class="ad-wrap third" aria-label="advertisement"> <div class="ad-header "><span>Sponsor Message</span></div> <div id="ad-third-News" class="ad-config ad-third has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"NPRThird","mobile":"NPRMobileThird"},"zone":"News","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"false","storyId":"522771745","agg":["139941248"],"blog":"139941248"},"location":"third","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":true,"overflowCount":null,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":false}'></div> <div class="ad-footer "></div> </aside> <p>Sawsan reminisces fondly about making <em>maamoul</em> with friends and family when she was growing up. She remembers the "heavenly" smells of spices and roasted nuts and the fun of those gatherings. "On the day of making <em>maamoul</em>, everyone is divided into teams," she says. "Some divide the dough into balls, others stuff them, a third team is in charge of pressing them into the molds, and if it is summer, the unlucky team is in charge of baking. They spend hours in front of the hot oven. But since everyone is in such a good mood, chatting, telling stories, and sneaking a taste of the <em>maamoul</em> hot out of the oven, no one minds."</p> <p><em>Maamoul</em>, as it's called in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, goes by <em>kombe</em> in southern Turkey, and as <em>kahk</em> in Egypt.</p> <p><em>Kahk </em>seems to be the indisputable ancestor of <em>maamoul</em>, as it's depicted in temple paintings and carvings dating to the Pharaonic era. "Even now, we pile <em>kahk</em> the same way, like a pyramid," says Ahmed Hameed, a tour guide and Egyptologist in Cairo. Like <em>maamoul </em>in other countries,<strong> </strong><em>kahk </em>in Egypt is traditional for both Easter and Eid. But in addition to nut fillings, Egyptians also have versions stuffed with<strong> </strong><em>agameya</em> (a honey-walnut concoction) and <em>loukoum</em> (Turkish delight).</p> <p>How these cookies came to be associated with Easter and Eid is less certain. "Some say the cookies are meant to remind you that though fasting is hard, within it is a sweet reward, exactly like <em>maamoul's</em> outer shell is bland but the core is sweet," says Sawsan.</p> <div id="res523301253" class="bucketwrap image large"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1776; --source-height: 1332; " > <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=900&c=85&f=webp 900w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=1200&c=85&f=webp 1200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=webp 1600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=1800&c=85&f=webp 1800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=900&c=85&f=jpeg 900w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=1200&c=85&f=jpeg 1200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=jpeg 1600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=1800&c=85&f=jpeg 1800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </picture> <div class="enlarge-options"> <a class="enlargelink" href="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg">Enlarge this image</a> </div> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> <p> These cookies originated in ancient Egypt, where it is called <em>kahk. </em>No one knows how they became associated with Easter and Eid. Some say they are meant to remind people that at the end of the fasting period, there is a sweet reward, says Sawsan. <b class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E. Robertson for NPR </b> <b class="hide-caption"><b>hide caption</b></b> </p> </div> <b class="toggle-caption"><b>toggle caption</b></b> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E. Robertson for NPR </span> </div> <div class="enlarge_measure"> <div class="img_wrap"> <picture> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=webp" type="image/webp"> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" type="image/jpeg"> <img data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/10/maamoul8-108b5ccb6b8f75647cd53228fe9479539fed1391.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" alt="" /> </picture> </div> </div> <div class="enlarge_html"> <div class="image_data"> <p class="caption">These cookies originated in ancient Egypt, where it is called <em>kahk. </em>No one knows how they became associated with Easter and Eid. Some say they are meant to remind people that at the end of the fasting period, there is a sweet reward, says Sawsan.</p> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Amy E. Robertson for NPR </span> </div> </div> </div> <p>The Jewish community in the region also loves <em>maamoul</em>. They eat it during <a href="http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/645309/jewish/What-Is-Purim.htm">Purim</a>, a holiday that commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia. It is said that as Queen Esther, heroine of the Purim story, was forced to hide her Jewish origin, "so the dainty pastry hides the rich nut filling inside."</p> <aside id="ad-overflow-3-wrap" class="ad-wrap overflow" aria-label="advertisement"> <div class="ad-header "><span>Sponsor Message</span></div> <div id="ad-overflow-3-News" class="ad-config ad-overflow-3 has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"NPROverflow","mobile":"NPRMobileOverflow"},"zone":"News","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"false","storyId":"522771745","agg":["139941248"],"blog":"139941248"},"location":"overflow","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":true,"overflowCount":3,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":false}'></div> <div class="ad-footer "></div> </aside> <p>Every baker has his or her secret for making the best <em>maamoul</em>. For Sawsan, "the secret to a great <em>maamoul</em> is a good <a href="https://chefindisguise.com/2013/08/07/semolina-maamoul-stuffed-cookies-with-dates-and-nuts/">recipe</a>, with a delicate balance between the ingredients to get a cookie than melts in your mouth yet holds its shape without crumbling. It goes without saying that using high quality dates or nuts is a must because they are really the star of the show in <em>maamoul</em>."</p> <p>When asked for his baking secrets, Mitri laughs. "You'll find out when you try it!" he says. He is not ready to reveal his recipe, but does have this bit of baking advice: "The real secret is that you do it with love. It's in how you do it, how you work the dough, how you bake the cookie. You do it with love."</p> <div class="hr"><hr /></div> <p><em>Amy E. Robertson is a writer currently based in Beirut, Lebanon. Follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/traveler0603">Twitter</a>.</em></p> </div> <div class="tags"> <ul> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/126932820/egypt">Egypt</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/175628568/easter">Easter</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/133398202/jordan">Jordan</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/126950855/turkey">Turkey</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/126936282/middle-east">Middle East</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/126929198/lebanon">Lebanon</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/522772532/eid">Eid</a></li> </ul> </div>  <div class="share-tools share-tools--secondary" aria-label="Share tools"> <ul> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--facebook"><button class="fbStory522771745" data-share-facebook='{"storyId": "522771745" }' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"facebook"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Facebook</b></button></li> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--flipboard"><button class="story522771745" data-share-flipboard='{"storyId": "522771745" }' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"flipboard"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Flipboard</b></button></li> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--email"><button class='share-tools__email-link' data-story-id='522771745' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"email"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Email</b></button></li> </ul> </div>  <div id="newsletter-acquisition-callout-data" data-newsletter="{"newsletterId":"news","title":"Up First","marketingHeader":"Sign Up For NPR's Up First Newsletter","frequency":"every day","shortDescription":"The stories you need to start your day, hand-picked for you every weekday. 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Maamoul: An Ancient Cookie That Ushers In Easter And Eid In The Middle East : The Salt : NPR