Firstly,
Ramadan Kariym to all of you. Secondly, since 1998, I have
intended to comment on an article regarding the history of our national
pastry "Kunafah" by historian `Isam `Abd al -Ra'uwf, which
appears on our state information Web site. Every year I have meant
to address this, and yet I always seem to forget. However, this year
I feel that I simply must comment on the inaccuracies which this article
poses. I am reproducing below, a segment from the Egyptian State
Information web site regarding the history of the "Kunafah,"
which with due respect, I could not disagree more with. Following
is the quoted segment, followed by my rebuttal.
|
|
http://www.sis.gov.eg/online/html/o221298b.htm |
| "According to historian
Essam
Abdel-Raouf, the name konafa is derived from one of the Turkic languages
and this dessert dish had spread into provincial Syria during pre-lslamic
times. It is most popular during the annual Muslim fasting month of Ramadan—which
starts around December 20 this year. The tradition started around the year
58 Hijra (early 8th century on the Christian calender), when the Damascus-based
Muslim ruler Mu'aweya Bin Abi Sufeyan complained of fatigue and dizziness
during Ramadan. He was advised to eat konafa for its high dose of rich,
nutritious ingredients like nuts and raisins. Others followed the leader's
example, and the Ramadan/konafa connection was born. Fatimids introduced
konafa to Egypt when they started ruling the country in 358 Hijra (early
11th century). The Fatimids are credited for introducing several types
of dessert to Egypt, and for starting the tradition of serving specific
dessert dishes during certain religious occasions, such as Ashoura and
Moulid El-Nabi (Prophet Mohamed's Birthday)." `Isam `Abd al -Ra'uwf |
Firstly,
the author contradicts himself with his comment, as follows: "the dessert
dish had spread into provincial Syria during pre-Islamic times."
Actually, it could not have been Turkish in origin since the Arabs did
not come in contact with the Turks until the advent of the Umawiy (Umayyad)
dynasty and not in the Djahiyliyah, see below:
"Contacts between the Turks
and Arabs commenced at the beginning of the 8th century and some of the
Turks began to favor Islam. However the pro-Arab policies of the Mayas
(661-750 A.D) restricted these relations somewhat. Later, many Moslem Turks
took office in the Abbside government and because of this, great interest
in the Islamic world spread among the Turks beyond the River Ceyhun. Commercial
caravans also played a major role in the spread of Islam into the steppes
of Central Asia. The Turks became fully Moslem by the 10th century."
|
|
http://www.enjoyturkey.com/info/history_turkey/turksandislam.htm |
|
Secondly,
while its is true that many of our dessert dishes were extensively mentioned
in great detail by al-Maqriyziy in his description of the Fatimiy
banquets during Ramadan, it is also a fact that Kunafah and
Basbuwsah,
in particular, were a part of a long culinary tradition going back to Ancient
Egypt (see below). |
