A TONGUE TWISTER DESSERT

If you think chocolate pudding is the best type of pudding on Earth, hold that thought. We recently drew out a dessert talked about in cookbooks since the 10th century! It goes by the names Muhallabiyeh, Muhalabia, Muhallebi, and Mohallabiah. But you can relax your tongue and simply call it Arab milk pudding.

This rich Middle Eastern (region that includes Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Palestine) dessert is traditionally made with rice flour, milk, and sugar, and is typically flavored with rose or orange blossom water.

Culinary experts around the world have made their versions of this yummy Arab sweet. One recipe called for a lovely dark pink hibiscus glaze over the pudding, topped with crushed green pistachios. Another suggests serving it in a big glass with a garnish of rose syrup, rose petals, and of course, pistachios!

Legend has it that the pudding gets its name from an Arab general. Once upon a time, in the late 7th century, a Persian cook offered this beauty to Al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra (the Arab general). He instantly fell in love with it and decided to name the pudding after himself.

A 19th-century cookbook from England calls Arab milk pudding Ramadan cakes. This English recipe says that you must boil rice flour and sugar in milk until the quantity decreases and thus thickens. Then jasmine or rose extract is added for flavor. It should be served once cool with a little powdered sugar as garnish.