THE Lebanese Breakfast

Where I was born, we called this Basma. In the rest of the Lebanon, it is called cheese knafeh.

This is one of my favourite Lebanese breakfast since I was five years old.

And just like when I was five, my dad took us for breakfast at Amal Bahsali, a family ran Arabic pastry place that has been making Basma since 1878.

A layer of semolina dough covering sweet white cheese, baked till the dough is brown and the cheese is melted, then soaked with Quater, the Lebanese sugar syrup that soaks most of our desserts.

But that is not the full story. Basma is served with those small breads - sort of a thin layer bagel that opens up easily.

The Basma is then stuffed into this special bread and soaked with more Quater.

 
The sweetness is a great morning kick-off and the calories have the full day to be burnt. How many mornings can I have this I wonder?