Bint al-sahn

Bint al-Saḥn

Bint al-Saḥn
Place of origin	Yemen
Main ingredients	white flour,eggs,vanilla extract,baking powderandcinnamon

Bint al-sahn(Arabic:بنت الصحن,romanized:Bint as-Saḥn,lit. 'daughter of the plate'),also known assabayah,is aYemenipastry made from adough,which is prepared by mi xing white flour, eggs,yeast andclarified butter,known assamn(سمن). It is baked in multiple layers and typically served withhoneyand sprinkled withhabbat as sowda(Nigella sativa,black cumin).

Bint al-sahn is one of the most popularYemenidishes (along withshai haleeb). It is often translated ashoneycakeintoEnglish,but in reality falls more under the category of a rich,flakypastry with is served with honey and meltedghee.Like most breads, its best when it is fresh and warm. This recipe seems very simple in terms of the ingredients; however, it is not the easiest dish to make. For this reason, it is rarely found in Yemeni restaurants and it is something which is most often made at home. The most important thing is that the layers need to be paper-thin. In order to achieve this, the dough needs to be the right consistency and the dough balls must be allowed to relax so that it becomes easy to toss them out.

See also

• Yemeni cuisine
• List of desserts

References

• Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia: [Four Volumes] - Ken Albala.p. 320.
• Departures and Arrivals – Eric Newby.p. 148.