🥮 Znoud el Sit
Znoud el sit are crisp fried rolls of phyllo pastry filled with ashta, a thick Levantine clotted cream, then soaked in syrup perfumed with orange blossom water and sprinkled with ground pistachios. The shell shatters around a cool, creamy centre. They are a favourite in Lebanese and Syrian sweet shops, especially during Ramadan.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 sheets phyllo pastry
- 500 g ashta (Levantine clotted cream)
- Oil for frying
- 300 g sugar and 150 ml water for syrup
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 30 g pistachios, finely ground
Method
- Simmer the sugar, water and lemon juice for 10 minutes, add the orange blossom water and cool the syrup.
- Cut the phyllo into rectangles, place a line of ashta along one edge, fold in the sides and roll up tightly.
- Fry the rolls in oil at 175 °C until golden and crisp.
- Drain briefly and dip in the cool syrup.
- Dip the ends in ground pistachios and serve.
How to make it lighter
- Have one roll and enjoy it slowly; two make a substantial dessert.
- Bake the rolls brushed lightly with oil instead of deep-frying them.
- Drizzle a little syrup instead of soaking the rolls.
History
The name means 'ladies' upper arms' in Arabic, a playful reference to the rolls' plump shape. The sweet is part of the Levantine tradition of ashta-filled pastries and is made across Lebanon, Syria and neighbouring countries.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →