Konafa is made of a very thin half cooked pastry. The closest in North America would be vermicelli or Angel hair.

Konafa can be found in some Middle Eastern groceries.

In Turkey and Greece, the name Kataifi is used for what Egyptian call Konafa, while Katayef is another different Egyptian desert.

Konafa is made of a very thin half cooked pastry. The closest in North America would be vermicelli or Angel hair.

Konafa can be found in some Middle Eastern groceries.

In Turkey and Greece, the name Kataifi is used for what Egyptian call Konafa, while Katayef is another different Egyptian desert.

Baklava is a popular desert in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Vermicelli can be made into a rice or pasta substitute, or side dish. This recipe however, makes it a dessert.

Couscous is originally from the Western part of North Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia).

It has made its way in Egypt, but mostly eaten as a desert only with sugar.

Omm Ali means "Mother of Ali". This dish has some unsavory history.

In Arab countries, it is customary to call a person as "Father of ..." and then the name of the eldest son. Omm Ali was the wife of a ruler from the Ayyubid dynasty. Her rival Shagaret El Dorr (Tree of Pearls) was the second wife of that ruler. After his death, Shagaret El Dorr arranged for Om Ali to be murdered by her servants, and to celebrate, she distributed bread with milk and honey.

Shagaret El Dorr ruled Egypt for some time in the name of her husband, and would later die in a conspiracy too.

This became a dish known as Om Ali.