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Note #8004 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

T for toothsome
03482
November 11, 2003

T for toothsome

Tiny, obscure bakery is sweetest of discoveries in Jerusalem

by Alexa Smith

(Editor's Note: As the holy month of Ramadan draws to a close, Muslims are
baking sweets for family, friends and neighbors. Christians in the Holy Land
use the same recipes, some of which are included in this story.)

EAST JERUSALEM - "Best	ka'k in Jerusalem," the man declares with finality.
"And I'm not saying that just because I'm their friend."

This is the Abu-Aziz bakery, in the heart of the Muslim Quarter of
Jerusalem's Old City, a regular stop for many of the city's gourmands. The
voluble customer and "friend" of the proprietors is talking about one of its
specialties, a date cake that is holiday fare in this part of the world.

Sameer Abu-Sbeih looks up from his baking, smiles, blushes, and allows, "It
is the best ka'k in Jerusalem."

It was the best a quarter-century ago, when Abu-Sbeih was a little boy and
his father brought him here to start learning the ropes, and it is still the
best.

How else could such a tiny, hole-in-the-wall of a shop have earned such a
reputation?

The best for ka'k, yes. And for m'tabbaq. And harissa. And for a simple
butter cookie that a Scot would call shortbread. And for sticky sweet baklawa
- a concoction of ground pistachios swathed in clouds of fine flour and
soaked in honey.

Little Abu-Aziz bakery is near the Damascus Gate, nestled under the first
archway over the well-worn path to the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall.

Jerusalem's sweet shops always seem to be busy. They probably were busy in
Jesus's day. Sweet-toothed shoppers stop to study trays of goodies lined up
on the street outside. Often it takes a while for them to decide what to buy
and how much. Eventually they summon a cashier to take their money and box up
the goods.

Abu-Sbeih says he likes his work, whether it's sugaring dates for the ka'k or
winding dough on a rolling pin as big as a broomstick until it is paper-thin
for the baklawa.

His work space is cramped and narrow. The kitchen is barely bigger than a
coffin. Abu-Sbeih carries copper pots burned black from generations of use -
some the size of laundry baskets - from wooden table to metal rack to yawning
oven.

He is one of four brothers who work here, caretakers of the tradition of "the
best ka'k in the city," which they inherited from their father, who died of
heart disease more than 20 years ago. "I am the young one," Sameer says.

He and Sami are the bakers. Their older brothers, the ones whose arms and
pants aren't as white with flour, serve customers and provide finishing
touches like the pinwheel designs on the ka'k.

Their father glowers from an old photo on the wall.

"People love the sweets," Abu-Sbeih says, "and I love my work, everything
about it. This is my life."

Sameer and Sami  are working over a worn wooden table, pressing dates into
the semolina dough to make the biscuit-like ka'k.

Shaped like rings, or doughnuts, ka'k is said to symbolize the crown of
thorns Jesus wore when he was crucified. It is always served at Easter, but
is enjoyed all year long.

The family recipe:

Ka'k

Ingredients

1 pound, 2 ounces fine wheat semolina flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon active yeast
1/2 tablespoon anise
1/2 cup vegetable oil
7 ounces butter

For the filling:

Five ounces thick date paste
A little vegetable oil
A little water, if needed

Add the oil, butter, sugar and flavoring to the flour and work it together.
Knead the dough, adding yeast and only as much water as necessary to keep it
pliant. Let it sit while the filling is prepared. The filling should be soft,
but firm enough to be rolled into balls a bit less than an inch in diameter.

Break off biscuit-size pieces of dough, making each into a ring wrapped
around a ball of date filling. Then press the filling down so that the cookie
is shaped like a wheel. Pinch a design in the top of the cake and bake at 250
degrees for 20 minutes.

Let cool. Serve plain or sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Another favorite sweet, Harissa, is easy to make and inexpensive. "This is
the easy one," Sameer says. "It is nothing."

Harissa

Ingredients

1/2 pound semolina flour
1/4 pound sugar
1/4 ounce white flour
1 drop Tahini
1/4 teaspoon virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Coating

1/4 cup water
1-1/4 tablespoons sugar

Mix well the dry ingredients - semolina, sugar and white flour. Whisk water
and milk together and work it into the flour mixture slowly, gradually adding
the baking soda. (You can add coconut for flavor.)

Grease a jellyroll pan with a drop of Tahini (a paste made from ground sesame
seeds) and a bit of virgin olive oil. Pour the dough mixture into the pan,
decorate with pistachios and bake at 250 degrees for about 20 minutes, until
browned.

Meanwhile, dissolve sugar in water and keep on medium heat until it boils.
Pour the sugar syrup over the Harissa as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Serve warm or cooled.

M'tabbaq

Ingredients

1/2 pound ultra-thin filo dough
Soft butter

Filling

3 pints milk
1 cup cornflower
(Or substitute 12 ounces soft white sheep's cheese, unsalted)

Topping

Melted stick butter
A few drops vegetable oil
A pinch saffron (for color)

Stack five sheets of filo dough, brushing each layer with the buttery
mixture, generously on the top. Cut into squares 3 to 4 inches on a side.

To make the filling, bring milk and cornflower mixture to a boil and pour
into a tray, allowing it to cool and to jell.

Dab the filling onto filo dough and fold it over, making triangles. Bake at
250 degrees for 30 minutes.

Boil butter, vegetable oil and coloring on medium heat and pour over the
M'tabbaq as soon as it is out of the oven.

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