Zalabiyeh
Deep-fried zalabiyeh | |
| Alternative names | Spongy dough (sufgan), zlebia, jalebie, zülbiya, jilapi |
|---|---|
| Type | Fritter, Doughnut |
| Region or state | Middle East, North Africa, West Asia, Ethiopia, Europe, Algeria |
| Main ingredients | Batter (flour, yeast, water, salt), sugar, Optional: eggs, milk, sesame oil, sesame seeds |
Zalabiyeh (Arabic: زلابية) is a fritter or doughnut found in several cuisines across the Arab world, West Asia and some parts of Europe influenced by the former. The fritter version is made from a semi-thin batter of wheat flour which is poured into hot oil and deep-fried. The earliest known recipe for the dish comes from a 10th-century Arabic cookbook and was originally made by pouring the batter through a coconut shell. Zalabiyeh differs from lokma in that it is made from batter rather than yeast dough, though the names are sometimes used interchangeably.