Aish as-Saraya
Aish as-Saraya is an Arab dessert eaten regularly in the Levant and Egypt, consisting of syrup-soaked breadcrumbs topped with clotted cream and pistachios, and contains neither eggs nor butter. It is popular in the Arab world.
Etymology
The name Aish as-Saraya translates to "bread of the royal palaces," the word saraya being of Turkish origin.In Egyptian Arabic, Aish means bread, which is also the Arabic word for life.
Preparation and Ingredients
Usually, Aish as-Saraya is made with a layer of finely shredded bread that is doused with syrup, with a second layer of cream on top of the bread layer, typically qishta, a type of clotted cream, is used, the dish is then topped with fruits and nuts.Qatir is often mixed with the bread, and also used as garnish.
History
The exact era and location from which the dessert originated is debated, with some attributing it to the Ottoman Empire, or even the much older Fatimid Caliphate.The name Aish as-Saraya, meaning "bread of the palace", is said to have been given to the dish due to the fact that it originated from palaces which were plentiful in the region, in which ingredients like qishta, nuts, and bread, which were too expensive for the common man, were readily available.
According to historian, saray etmeği was a popular pudding in the Ottoman empire during the 19th century, it was made from kaymak and the crusts of fine white bread loaves that were baked in the Sultans kitchen, eventually, the bread was replaced by a form of rusk called a "Damascus rusk". An 1895 Arabic-English dictionary by author Socrates Spiro described aish as-saraya as a "kind of Turkish cake eaten with cream".
In popular culture
A book titled "The Aish Al-Saraya Incident and Attendant, Amusing Events" by Sudanese author Hammour Ziada was released in Arabic, its name directly referencing the dessert.ِAnother Arabic book with a title referencing the dessert was written by Egyptian author , titled Aish as-Saraya..and other texts.
Similar Dishes
Madlouqa is a Levantine cold-served dessert made from a layer of semolina flour that is toasted with butter, similar to suji ka halwa, or a layer of knafeh, which is then topped with a second layer made from qishta, and finally garnished with nuts and syrup.Layali Lubnan is another layered dessert with a base layer of semolina pudding, a second layer of qishta, which is then garnished with syrup, nuts and rose petals.