 Qishta | |
| Alternative names | Kashta, Ashta |
|---|---|
| Type | Dairy |
| Place of origin | Levant, Arab world |
| Region or state | Arab world |
| Main ingredients | Milk |
| Similar dishes | Clotted cream, kaymak |
Qishta (Arabic: قِشْطَة, romanized: qišṭa, pronounced [qiʃ.tˤa]), also known as kishta, kashta, ghishta, ashta or eshta, is a dairy coagulated milk product prepared from heated fresh milk used in different dishes and consumed as a dessert.[1][2] It is found in Southern Mediterranean cuisines, including Levantine and Egyptian cuisines.[3] It is sometimes scented with orange flower water.[4] Qishta may be served with fruit, used to fill crêpes and pastries, or served with pistachios and sweet syrups.[5][6] Qishta is "highly perishable" and, if improperly prepared or stored, may be a source of foodborne illness such as Listeria.[7][8] It is similar to other heat-prepared dairy dishes such as kaymak[9] and khoa.[10]
Preparation
Qishta is traditionally made by heating milk in wide, shallow pans until proteins coagulate and trap fat, forming a thick layer on the surface. The process takes several hours and is done without fermentation or added coagulants. Qishta is typically prepared in small dairies or bakeries. It has a short shelf life, lasting only a few days even if refrigerated.[7]
The milk needs to be stabilized at a specific temperature (typically around 60 celsius) during the cooking process.[11][7]
Unlike some other coagulated dairy products, the preparation process remains traditional for qishta, so it is neither fermented nor coagulated through chemical or microbial means.[7]
Some cooks may add cornstarch of flour to thicken the cream to make qishta pudding (Arabic: قشطة مطبوخة), as opposed to fresh qishta.[12][13][14]
History
Heat-prepared creams similar to modern day qishta and kaymak were mentioned in medieval Arabic cookbooks.[15] An Egyptian 13-14th Century cookbook titled Kanz al-fawāʾid provides a recipe for it, it calls for heating milk, letting it cool so that the cream accumulates, then collecting the cream.[15]
An 1895 Egyptian Arabic-English dictionary by author Socrates Spiro translated qishta (قشطة) "cream".[16]
Uses
Qishta is used in a wide array of desserts and is a vital company in many, it can be incorporated into puddings, juices, pastries, and cocktails, or just eaten fresh as-is, its also used as a topping or filling.[17][11][18] Dishes using it include, Layali Lubnan, qatayef, othmalliyya, and rice pudding.[17]
Gallery
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Qishta topped with pistachios and honey -
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Layali lubnan, also called qashtalia -
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See also
References
- ^ Najib, Mustapha; Hallab, Mohamad Walid; Hallab, Karim; Hallab, Zaher; Delaplace, Guillaume; Hamze, Monzer; Chihib, Nour-Eddine (2020-01-24). "Qishta—A Lebanese Heat Concentrated Dairy Product Characteristics and Production Procedures". Foods. 9 (2): 125. doi:10.3390/foods9020125. ISSN 2304-8158. PMC 7073747. PMID 31991542.
- ^ Najib, Mustapha; Bray, Fabrice; Khelissa, Simon; Flament, Stephanie; Richard, Elodie; El Omari, Khaled; Rolando, Christian; Delaplace, Guillaume; Hamze, Monzer; Chihib, Nour-Eddine (2022-01-01). "Effect of milk heat treatment on molecular interactions during the process of Qishta, a Lebanese dairy product". International Dairy Journal. 124 105150. doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2021.105150. ISSN 0958-6946.
- ^ Mefleh, Marina; Darwish, Amira M. Galal; Mudgil, Priti; Maqsood, Sajid; Boukid, Fatma (December 2022). "Traditional Fermented Dairy Products in Southern Mediterranean Countries: From Tradition to Innovation". Fermentation. 8 (12): 743. doi:10.3390/fermentation8120743. ISSN 2311-5637.
- ^ Kobeissi, Hoda. "Atayef with ashta cream (sweet pancake stuffed with clotted cream". SBS. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ Choueiry, Ramzi (2012-10-01). The Arabian Cookbook: Traditional Arab Cuisine with a Modern Twist. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-62087-747-0.
- ^ Fatimah (2023-01-11). "Ashta, Middle Eastern Clotted Cream". FalasteeniFoodie. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ a b c d Kassaify, Z. G.; Najjar, M.; Toufelli, I.; Malek, A. (2010). "Microbiological and chemical profile of Lebanese qishta (heat-coagulated milk)". Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 16 (9): 926–931. doi:10.26719/2010.16.9.926. PMID 21218717. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ Hassan, Hussein F.; Kassaify, Zeina (2014-03-01). "The risks associated with aflatoxins M1 occurrence in Lebanese dairy products". Food Control. 37: 68–72. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.08.022. ISSN 0956-7135.
- ^ "In Watertown, a pricey clotted cream transcends centuries and geopolitics". GBH. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ Dimassi, Ossama; Jaber, Lina; Fleyfel, Layla; Hamadeh, Shady (5 September 2025). "Milk Supply in Lebanon: Economic Challenges and the Role of Traditional Dairy Products". Foods. 14 (17): 3115. doi:10.3390/foods14173115. ISSN 2304-8158. PMC 12428452. PMID 40941230.
- ^ a b Dawood, Dalia (17 October 2018). "A Sugar-Saturated Guide to Middle Eastern Sweets". VICE. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ "شعيبيات". Assawsana Jordanian Newspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ Choueiry, Ramzi (1 October 2012). The Arabian Cookbook: Traditional Arab Cuisine with a Modern Twist. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-62087-747-0. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ Abood, Maureen (4 August 2017). "Ashta with Fresh Fruit". Maureen Abood. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ a b Nasrallah, Nawal (31 December 2007). Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens: Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq's Tenth-Century Baghdadi Cookbook. BRILL. p. 585. ISBN 978-90-474-2305-8. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ Spiro, Socrates (1895). An Arabic-English Vocabulary of the Colloquial Arabic of Egypt: Containing the Vernacular Idioms and Expressions, Slang Phrases, Etc., Etc., Used by the Native Egyptians (in Arabic). Al-Mokattam printing office. p. 488. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ a b Jawad, Yumna (25 November 2024). "How to Make Ashta". Feel Good Foodie. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "This Lebanese cafe in Granada Hills serves LA's most intriguing fruit cocktails". Eater LA. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
