Name: Avis sur Kadaif par hurkanakbiyik chez Snob Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Pays-Bas
Item: Kadaif
Rating: 2.9
Author: hurkanakbiyik

Kadaif is the Bosnian syrup pastry made from shredded kadayıf threads: two layers of butter-soaked strands pressed into a tray with a filling of chopped walnuts between them, baked until the top is crisp and golden, and drenched in a lemon syrup while hot. It belongs to the family of Ottoman sweets that Bosnia kept after four centuries of Turkish rule, alongside baklava, tulumba and hurmašice, and in Sarajevo and Mostar it is sold by the square in the slastičarne, the pastry shops, and made at home for Eid, weddings and slava feasts. The Turkish tel kadayıf is the same raw material, but Bosnian kadaif is its own dish: walnuts rather than pistachios, a heavier soak of syrup, often a spoon of cinnamon or clove in it, and a cut into squares or diamonds like baklava rather than the small round nests of Greek kataifi.

The threads are made from a thin wheat batter dribbled onto a hot rotating plate, and most kitchens now buy them fresh or frozen from a bakery. The strands are pulled apart, loosened and mixed with a generous amount of melted butter, close to a third of their weight, until every thread is coated; half goes into a buttered tray in an even layer, pressed down firmly, then a layer of coarsely chopped walnuts, sometimes mixed with a little sugar, then the rest of the threads, pressed again and often brushed with more butter. It bakes at around 180°C for forty to fifty minutes until the top is deep gold and crisp through. The syrup, sugar and water boiled with lemon juice and sometimes a cinnamon stick or a few cloves, is cooled and poured over the pastry the moment it leaves the oven, so that it hisses and is absorbed; the tray rests for several hours, ideally overnight, before cutting.

A good square shows three clear layers when cut: crisp threads, a dense band of walnut, crisp threads again, all of it amber from the butter and syrup. The top should still have some crunch after the soak, the bottom should be soft and syrupy without a pool of liquid in the tray, and the sweetness, which is considerable, should be cut by the lemon and carried by the walnut. Mark down a kadaif that is uniformly soggy, which means too much syrup or syrup poured onto a cold pastry, one that is dry and chaff-like from too little butter, a mean walnut layer, scorched threads on top, syrup that tastes only of sugar, and a tray that has been cut the same day so the layers slide apart. Served at room temperature with strong Bosnian coffee it is at its best; chilled it is leaden.

Kadaif

Netherlands

Snob Amsterdam

Modern Kadayif with Pistachio

Visually appealing but missed the mark in flavor. The overuse of salty pistachios overpowered the dessert, creating an odd balance for something meant to be sweet. Texture and presentation aside, the classic version easily outshines this twist. Wouldn’t go for it again.

Avis sur Kadaif par hurkanakbiyik chez Snob Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Pays-Bas

Kadaif

Snob Amsterdam

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