Kunafa is actually a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with shredded filo pastry or alternatively fine semolina dough, soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup, and typically layered with cheese, or with other ingredients such as clotted cream or nuts, depending on the region. It is popular in the Arab world, particularly the Levant and Egypt, and among Palestinians. In addition, variants are found in Pakistan, Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans as well as in the South Caucasus such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Afghanistan.
In Arabic, kunafa may refer to the string pastry itself, or to the entire dessert dish. In Turkish, the string pastry is known as tel kadayıf, and the cheese-based dessert that uses it is künefe. In the Balkans, the shredded dough is similarly known as kadaif and in Greece as kataifi and also is the basis of various dishes rolled or layered with it, including dessert pastries with nuts and sweet syrups.
The particular sweet treat is traditionally cooked in a tray over an open fire until the buttery dough forms a crisp crust and the cheese has melted. It is best eaten fresh from the oven. The soft cheese, crunchy pastry, and sweet syrup are like the love child of baklava and fried mozzarella sticks. There are two different types of kunafa.
Khishneh is rougher and topped with crunchy bits of kataifi which is a pastry from shredded phyllo dough while na’ameh is smooth and topped with farkeh which is ground semolina dough. Regional variations alter the type of cheese or, in some cases, replace it entirely with cream or custard.
Sources: YouTube KanaL 25, Every Little Crumb.