خشكنانج

Khushkananj is a delightful example of medieval Middle Eastern pastry artistry, emerging from the kitchens of Mosul in the early 13th century. Ibn al-Karim, the recipe's author, was keenly interested in culinary sophistication, bringing together luxury ingredients like almonds, rosewater, and fine semolina infused with luscious sesame oil. Such recipes reflect both urban affluence and the cross-pollination of Arab, Persian, and possibly even Byzantine food traditions. Dishes similar to this pastry survived across the region in various forms, often gracing festive or celebratory tables.

In Ibn al-Karim's era, cooks would have worked with large, open mixing bowls for dough, heavy mortars and pestles to grind almonds and sugar, and wooden paddles for shaping the pastries. Dough might be left to rise covered by cloth near the hearth. Baking was typically done in domed clay ovens (tannūr or furn) or large communal brick ovens, lending an even, gentle heat for perfect browning. No electric appliances were used, and precision relied on experience, keen observation, and skilled hands.