Ka'ak

كعكar

Also: Kaak, Ka'ak el Eid, Eid cookies, Kahk

Ring-shaped or braided shortbread-like cookies scented with anise and mahlab, often crusted with sesame, baked for religious holidays.

Identity criteria

Base

Flour and/or semolinaessentialGives the tender, slightly crumbly structure

Aromatics

MasticoptionalOccasional aromatic resin addition

Fat

Butter, ghee or oilessentialShortens the dough for a delicate crumb

Seasoning

MahlabessentialGround cherry-pit kernel — the defining cherry-almond aroma

Anise / aniseedessentialCharacteristic licorice-like fragrance

SugaroptionalLightly sweet; some versions are barely sweet

Garnish

Sesame seedsoptionalCommon crust, especially on Levantine ring versions

Aromatic infusion of the dough: Mahlab and anise are worked into the dough so the whole cookie is perfumed, not just the surface
Shaping into rings or braids: The ring/bracelet form is the cookie's identity and eases dipping in coffee or tea
Baking to a pale set: Baking, not frying, gives the dry, crumbly texture made for keeping and dunking

aromaticanisenuttylightly sweetbuttery

Tender and crumbly, with a sesame crunch when seeded

Baked in large batches for Eid and other religious holidays, shared among family and neighbors, and served with coffee or tea at festive gatherings.

year-round

Ka'ak bi ajwa · Levant
Filled with date paste rather than left plain
Kahk el Eid · Egypt
Soft powdered-sugar version filled with agameya or nuts (a distinct but related cookie)
Sesame ka'ak · Jordan / Palestine
Plain anise-mahlab rings crusted heavily with sesame

Butter → Gheeadmissible
Traditional and often preferred fat — changes aroma slightly
Mahlab and anise → Vanilla onlyinadmissible
Removes the defining cherry-almond and licorice aromas — becomes a generic shortbread, not ka'ak

A holiday cookie shared across the Levant, with closely related forms throughout the region, particularly associated with Eid.

Shared by: Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria

Confidence: high