Barazek

Barazeq

Type	cookie
Place of origin	Levant
Region or state	Al-Midan, Damascus, Syria[1]
Main ingredients	flour, butter, icing sugar, egg yolk, sesame

Barazek or barazeq (in Arabic برازق barāzeq) is a Syrian cookie whose main ingredient is sesame (سمسم sumsum) and often also contain pieces of pistachio. It probably originated during Ottoman rule^[2] in the Syrian capital, Damascus, particularly in the Al-Midan neighborhood,^[3] although today it is so popular that it can be found in most pastry shops throughout the Levantine area (Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria) and beyond.^[4] It is also one of the more traditional Palestinian desserts and it is easy to find stalls selling barazek on the streets of Jerusalem.^[5]

It is considered one of the most famous Syrian desserts and has a multitude of variants. All include flour, butter, sugar, and sesame; some may also include egg, milk, pistachios, honey, mahleb, yeast, and vanilla, as well as clarified butter (samneh) instead of regular butter. It has a sweet, buttery and nutty flavor, and a crisp and brittle texture.