Sesame-coated handbag-shaped soft bread, sold by Beirut and Jerusalem street carts since the 19th century. Slit open, filled with za'atar and white cheese.
From the Arabic ka'k, meaning ring-bread; the handbag silhouette with its central hole is unique to the Levant. Jerusalem's Old City carts trace to Ottoman times; Beirut's iconic kaak al-Asrouniyye carts mark central squares as visibly as the tram once did.
In Jerusalem's Old City, kaak al-Quds carts cluster at Damascus Gate; vendors keep za'atar packets tucked into the cart frame so customers fill them at the stand. The Beirut version sells for 25,000 LBP as of 2023, near-symbolic given the lira's collapse.
Tan-gold, sesame-crusted, 25cm long with a 6cm hole at the wide end and a narrow handle. Soft milky crumb, faint sweetness from a sugar-water glaze under the seeds. Slit horizontally, brushed with olive oil, dusted with za'atar — eaten standing up, walking off.
Yeasted milk-and-sugar dough proofed twice, hand-rolled into the asymmetric handbag, dipped in dibs (date or grape molasses) thinned with water, then sesame-coated and baked at 220°C. Molasses caramelizes under the seeds, locking them on and giving the brown gloss.
Variations
Beirut kaak al-Asrouniyye (handbag, soft, eaten with za'atar), Jerusalem kaak al-Quds (slightly drier, served with za'atar packets and boiled egg), Egyptian kahk (small ring cookies, not the same bread), and the Aleppo kaak bil-yansoon (anise-flavored ring).
On the Palate
Where Kaak sits in the Lebanese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
6 steps · 25 min active + 2 hours waiting
- 15 min
Mix dough: 500 g flour + 7 g yeast + 10 g salt + 30 g sugar + 30 ml olive oil + 300 ml warm water.
- 2100 min
Knead 10 min; bulk ferment 1.5 hr.
- 315 min
Divide into 100 g pieces; shape into characteristic handbag/purse shape with handle.
- 43 min
Brush with milk; press generously with sesame seeds.
Watch outBrush the milk on first so the sesame has something to grab, then press the seeds in firmly — a loose coat falls off in the oven.
- 520 min
Second proof 30 min; bake 200 °C 18–20 min until golden.
Watch outIt's done when the sesame smells toasty and the surface takes on a brown gloss — that shine is the milk-sugar caramelizing and locking the seeds on.
- 62 min
Slit open while warm; fill with za'atar and white cheese before eating.
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