The story
Knafeh is old: a 13th-century cookbook from the Maghreb and Al-Andalus gives recipes, and legend links it to Ramadan meals for caliphs in Fatimid Egypt or Umayyad Damascus. The cheese-filled version known today, though, is identified above all with Nablus, a hill city in the West Bank also famed for its olive-oil soap. Knafeh nabulsiyeh layers the city's firm, salty white cheese under shredded or semolina pastry, is flipped hot from the pan and drenched in syrup. Writers tied Nablus to knafeh by 1923, and in 2009 its bakers made one 74 metres long for a world record. Turkey's Hatay province has its own künefe.
Rival claims
This is the home of the cheese-filled version (knafeh nabulsiyeh); Turkey's Hatay province claims its own künefe, and legends place the first knafeh in Fatimid Egypt or Umayyad Damascus.
Also known as kunafa, kanafeh, knafeh nabulsiyeh, künefe, كنافة.
On the Meridish menu
Knafeh was the dessert course on menu No. 19 on October 19, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Crisp shredded pastry over stretchy white cheese, drenched in syrup and scattered with pistachios. This hill city, also famed for olive-oil soap, once made one 74 metres long.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
