Layali Lubnan

Piece of 2-layer Layali Lubnan
Alternative names	Beirut nights
Course	Dessert
Place of origin	Lebanon
Region or state	Levant
Associated cuisine	Lebanese cuisine
Serving temperature	Cold
Main ingredients	Semolina, milk, sugar, rose water, orange blossom water, cream
Variations	Garnished with nuts, banana slices, or whipped cream
Media: Layali Lubnan

Layali Lubnan (Arabic: ليالي لبنان, lit. 'Nights of Lebanon'), also called Qashtalia (Arabic: قشطلية), is a Lebanese dessert. It is made from a layer of semolina pudding that is scented with orange blossom water and rose water, a second layer on top made from qishta, and topped with ground pistachios, honey or qatir.^[1][2][3]

Name

The origin of the name "Lebanese nights" is unknown.^[4]

Different names for the dish are used, such as Beirut nights.^[1] Different spellings and pronunciations are also common, like Layali Libnan,^[5] Ashtalieh,^[6] or Qashtaliyeh (Arabic: قشطلية).^[7]

In Syrian Arabic, qashtaliya refers to a dessert made from qishta and starch that is topped with syrup and nuts.^[8]

Preparation

The dish consists of a layer of semolina pudding, usually prepared by boiling milk, semolina, and rose water together in a pan, sometimes gum arabic is added,^[6] the mixture is poured into a tray and left to cool, a second layer of qishta is then prepared and added on top of the first layer after it had cooled.^[9][4][5]

After the pudding is done, the dessert is topped with nuts, pistachios, qatir, and sometimes rose petals.^[9]

The dish is refrigerated before serving.^[5]

Popularity

Layali Lubnan is one of the most common made-at-home desserts in Lebanon, its often made to celebrate holidays and special occasions.^[3][6][7] It is also considered a simple and cheap dessert compared to other traditional desserts.^[10][3]

See also

• Muhallebi
• Zerde
• Halawet el Jibn
• Meghli
• Madlouqa
• Aish as-Saraya

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Layali Lubnan.