Abu Dhabi: No celebrations can be complete without satisfying the sweet tooth and with Eid Al Adha just around the corner, most sweet shops are preparing for a surge in sales.
“The demand generally exceeds supply over the Eid period, but we keep our prices the same as the rest of the year,” said Alaa Al Jabawi, supervisor at Lebanon Flower Bakery.
Peeling and sifting nuts, rolling out dough, and stuffing fruits and nuts were in full flow at Lebanon Flower Bakery which also takes many orders in advance for the more popular sweets.
“If there’s a certain sweet that’s in demand, we don’t just increase its quantity, we also look for ways to enhance and develop the product,” Al Jabawi added.
“I enjoy combining various ingredients and components such as spices, dates, nuts, caramel, coconut, vanilla etc … and coming up with 40 different types of recipes for petit fours, for instance. Eventually, you become skilled in making various desserts and sweets,” said chef Hassan Al Kaabi at the bakery.
Eleven-year-old Ghania Chaudhary, a customer at the shop, said, “I love the kunafa and baklava and I’m buying some before Eid. This is a normal tradition in our house.”
Arafat Sweets, popular for Gazan kunafa, is another busy sweet shop in the capital’s Khalidiya, especially among the Palestinian community.
The Gazan kunafa is semolina-based dough stuffed with almonds, pine nuts, pistachio and almonds, and is typical to Gaza.
“Egyptians and Syrians are fond of the traditional kunafa, Lebanese are fond of the Lebanese kunafa, whereas the majority of our customers like the kunafa stuffed with Arabic cream cheese,” said Idris Zabde, salesperson at Arafat Sweets.
“We get very busy prior to Eid and during Eid, the Gazan kunafa, namoora and pastry with dates, cinnamon and walnuts are in high demand,” he said.
“We also have many diabetic customers who crave [for] kunafa during Eid, so we cater to their needs and serve them sugar-free version,” Zabde added.
“I tried the delicious Gazan kunafa, which is all about the culture and tradition in Gaza and unique to this shop. You don’t find it anywhere else in the UAE,’ said Yasser Jamil, 41, Syrian, a customer at the shop.
Asma Samir is an intern at Gulf News
