Makroudh (Algerian Semolina and Date Diamonds)
Makroudh are diamond-shaped semolina cakes stuffed with sweet date paste, fried or baked, then soaked in honey syrup. They're a staple of Algerian and...
Om Ali (Egyptian Bread and Milk Pudding)
Om Ali is Egypt's answer to bread pudding, layers of flaky pastry baked in sweetened milk with nuts and raisins until golden on top....
Imqaret (Maltese Date-Filled Fried Pastries)
Imqaret are Malta's favorite street snack: crisp, diamond-shaped pastries stuffed with spiced date paste and fried until golden. They are sold warm from festa...
Griwech (Algerian Fried Honey-Sesame Pastry Twists)
Griwech are golden fried pastry twists dipped in honey syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds, a staple of Algerian celebrations and Ramadan tables. They're...
Seadas (Sardinian Fried Pastries with Honey)
Seadas are Sardinia's beloved fried pastry — a thin dough pocket sealed around tangy fresh cheese, fried until blistered, then drizzled with honey while...
Sfouf (Lebanese Turmeric and Anise Semolina Cake)
Sfouf gets its sunny yellow color from turmeric and its warm flavor from ground anise, making it one of the easiest Lebanese cakes to...
Ballokume (Albanian Corn Flour Butter Cookies)
Ballokume are a traditional Albanian cookie from Elbasan, made with cornmeal and butter and traditionally baked for Dita e Verës, the spring festival. They...
Mediterranean Chocolate & Olive Oil Cake
Rich, dense, and deeply chocolatey, this cake swaps butter for fruity olive oil, a trick bakers across Italy and Spain use for a moister...
Baklava
Baklava is the crown jewel of Mediterranean pastry: layers of paper-thin phyllo, buttery and crisp, filled with spiced chopped nuts and soaked in a...
Halva (Sesame Tahini Halva)
Halva is a dense, crumbly sweet made from little more than tahini and sugar syrup, found from Turkey to the Levant under slightly different...