This 13th-century recipe from The Exile’s Cookbook constitutes an amazing and original twist on the time-honoured favourite, the qatayif (قطائف). The earliest recipes for these crepes cooked on only one side are already found in the earliest Abbasid culinary tradition. However, they were clearly too good to be kept in one area and they travelled across the Mediterranean, all the way to the Iberian Peninsula, very early on .
After you have made some qatayif, cut them into strips and start boiling some skimmed honey with cinnamon, pepper, spikenard, saffron, and starch. When the honey starts to boil, water-dissolved starch is added and then the qatayif cut into strips. Stir continuously until you get a smooth mass and then pour on some olive oil. Once the consistency is that of a starch pudding, it can be served. If you like, you can sprinkle on coarsely chopped pistachios, or skinned almonds or walnuts.
The texture of the end result is reminiscent of marmalade, albeit with an amazingly aromatic and spicy kick.
