Bas Bousa?

 Who doesn't love Basbousa?

It is said that Basbousa's history goes back to the Turkish cuisine , it is a traditional cake from the days of the Ottoman Empire and was firstly baked by Ottoman pastry chefs so they can celebrate the conquest of Armenia in the 16th century.

I can assure you that this dessert is very weird as it is called Basbousa in the Middle East but, it is called Harissa in Tunisia , Revani in Turkey , Chamia in Morocco and Kalb el loz in Algeria. Kalb el loz?? What a weird name for a dessert but, still this is not the weirdest thing about Basbousa.

I'll tell you guys a tale about this dessert , you won't believe how weird and how funny it is. There was a tale that says that there was a married couple and one day, the husband was coming back home from work. He entered the house and his wife was busy in the kitchen creating a new dessert for her guests that were visiting them. The wife was in the "Chef mode" that she didn't even give her husband a welcome back kiss so, he told her "Bas Bousa" which means "give me just a kiss". The guests came and they liked the dessert and then they asked about the name of it so, the husband laughed and told them its called "Basbousa". How can a welcome kiss turn into such a delicious dessert?.

For me, Basbousa is my go to dessert and especially if it is topped with Ishta. It is like heaven on earth and I feel that my tummy is dancing. My friends and family knows how much I Basbousa that one day when one of my friends had an argue with me, she came to my house with the largest Basbousa bel Ishta to apologize. 

I tried many times to create my own Basbousa but, I decided to be a taster instead of a cooker in this dessert so, what you need to make this beautiful dessert is:

-2 sticks of butter

-3 cups of Farina

-1 cup and a half of sugar

-1 cup of coconut 

-1 cup of milk

-2 teaspoons of baking powder

-1 tablespoon of vanilla

-Half a cup of sliced almonds

-Two thirds cup of flour

And for the syrup you'll need:

-2 cups of sugar

-Two thirds cup of water

-2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Firstly, you prepare the syrup by putting all the ingredients together in a pan and mixing them together until it has a thick texture then, you'll leave it to cool for 7 minutes.

After that, you'll start preparing the dessert by melting the butter and the rest of the ingredients with it and mix them all together until it has the perfect texture. Then, you'll put the mixture in a pan and place some almonds at the top of it.

You'll bake it in the oven for half an hour and you'll check on it after 20 mins and until it has reached its golden color. 

Last but not least, you'll cut it in squares or triangles or diamonds and pour the syrup on it then by that it is ready to be served with the lovely Ishta. 

Tell me what interesting stories and recipes you want about any other food for the next time and give me your feedback when you try it!!