Om Ali

The national dessert of Egypt: bread pudding made from crisp flatbread, pistachios, almonds, sultanas, spices, and rose water

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City/Region: Egypt | Baghdad

Time Period: 10th-13th Centuries

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Om Ali is the national dessert of Egypt, and its roots go back at least to the 10th century, when we get the base recipe for my version. I took inspiration from other medieval recipes and added the nuts, sultanas, and spices, though they would also use ingredients like camphor, chicken, poppyseeds, and musk.

I really like the flavors, and the dish is sweet without being too sweet, but the bread gives it a kind of noodle-like texture which is a bit odd. Modern versions often use dry croissants, so I won’t judge if you use them or something like phyllo or puff pastry in place of the homemade roqaq.

“Take semolina or white bread and soak it in milk until saturated. Then, take half a pound of sugar, or as much as is needed for the amount of bread, crush it, and mix it with the bread. Then, take a clean and shallow pot…add the soaked bread, milk, and sugar…Return the pot to slow burning coals. When the filling is cooked and set, remove the pot from the fire, turn it out onto a wide bowl and serve, God willing.”

— Kitab al-Tabikh by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq, 10th Century

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Ingredients:

Roqaq

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 3/4 cups (450 g) flour
• Generous 3/4 cup (200 ml) water

Om Ali

• 1/2 cup (113 g) melted butter
• 3/4 cup (85 g) slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup (90 g) shelled pistachios
• 1 cup (150 g) sultanas
• 1 quart (1 L) whole milk
• 2 cups (1/2 L) cream
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon rose water

Instructions:

1. For the roqaq: Mix the salt into the flour, then add the water and mix until it forms a dough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a counter or work surface and knead for about 15 minutes or until smooth.
3. Once smooth, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C).
5. After the dough has rested for 1 hour, divide it into 8 equal pieces and form them into balls. Roll and stretch each dough ball as thin as you can make it. Place the rolled out dough onto a baking sheet (you may only be able to fit 1 or 2 at a time) and bake for 5 minutes or until the bread has puffed up, gotten some color, and is crispy. You can bake the bread for about 2 minutes if you want to use it for something like a wrap, but for this recipe, we want the bread crisp.
6. For the Om Ali: Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
7. Crumble the roqaq into a large baking dish. Pour the melted butter over the roqaq pieces.
8. Toast the almonds and pistachios in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they’re nice and fragrant. Crush the toasted nuts lightly, then sprinkle them evenly over the crumbled roqaq, followed by an even layer of the sultanas.
9. Whisk together the milk, cream, and sugar in a pot, then set it on the stove and bring it to a simmer. Remove it from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes, then whisk in the cinnamon, cardamom, and rose water.
10. Gently pour the milk mixture over the roqaq mixture. Lightly push down the roqaq, nuts, and sultanas to make sure that all of the roqaq gets soaked.
11. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is browned and the milk bubbles.
12. Take the Om Ali out of the oven and serve it forth warm or cold.

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