Asaliya is the one of the few traditional Egyptian desserts familiar to the generations of the 1960s and 1970s.

Feeling nostalgic for such days, I searched all over Cairo for shop that still makes Asaliya. After a long search, I found an old shop near Ahmad Ibn Tulun Mosque.

I assumed the shop’s owner must be old, but surprisingly he was a young man who greeted me warmly and introduced himself as Alaa Mahmoud Mohammed Yusuf, a.k.a. ‘Alaa Asaliya’.

Asaliya is the one of the few traditional Egyptian desserts familiar to the generations of the 1960s and 1970s.

Feeling nostalgic for such days, I searched all over Cairo for shop that still makes Asaliya. After a long search, I found an old shop near Ahmad Ibn Tulun Mosque.

I assumed the shop’s owner must be old, but surprisingly he was a young man who greeted me warmly and introduced himself as Alaa Mahmoud Mohammed Yusuf, a.k.a. ‘Alaa Asaliya’.

He said he inherited this profession from his ancestors and he represents the fourth generation in the family to produce the treats. “I follow the traditional method of using only black honey,” he said. “The available Asaliya on the market today is made with sugar and glucose plus preservatives to extend its shelf life for six months. In our shop, we make fresh Asaliya that is only edible for two months.”

 “First I heat black honey in a copper bowl and stir it with a stick until it boils. Then I use an electric mixer to stir the honey until it becomes thicker. I put butter on a marble mold to prevent the honey from sticking to the sides and to add a richer flavor to it. Once the black honey is thick enough, I pour it in the marble mold in equal proportions and add starch on the other half of the mold and stir the mixture. The mixture turns into dough which is then spread lengthwise by fixing its tip on a strong spike attached to the wall. The dough is stretched and re-wrapped on the nail several times until it turns into a lighter color. The needed skill in making this dessert lies in maintaining the texture of the dough while being wrapped on the spike.”

 “The dough is eventually spread on the marble mold, stuffed with peanuts and wrapped in the form of a cone. The dough is then put on the marble with starch, cut into cubes and packaged.”

 “My father used to make another type of dessert called Bakht, which is a biscuit stuffed with honey and wrapped along with a prize card including a dish, ring, necklace or kerosene stove – the grand prize was a bicycle. The draw was performed all over the week while the prize was collected on Friday afternoon,” he said. “I have a Diploma in Tourism and Hotels. I worked as a dessert chef for several years. However and to honor the memory of my father, I reopened his shop and our business is booming due to our reputation.”