History
Welcome to Knafeh Cafe
Passed down from grandfather to father to son, the art of making Arabic dessert has traveled from thousands of miles to the United States. Knafeh as we know it came about hundreds of years ago in the city of Nablus (a city in Palestine). Only a handful of families mastered the art of making Knafeh using the local Nabulsi cheese. Eventually Knafeh became very prominent in this city and spread to the broader region as “Nabulsi Knafeh”.
Asem Abusir, an immigrant from the city of Nablus came to the United States 30 years ago and brought with him the artistry that he inherited from his forefathers. The Abusir family has many establishments throughout the Middle East preparing and serving Knafeh. The dessert is made of shredded dough and sweet white cheese with a touch of white sugar syrup.
It became a tradition in the Middle East to serve Knafeh at weddings, engagements, graduations and other celebrations. Asem, who has been a computer engineer for the last 25 years decided to bring the original recipe of his forefathers to Southern California. Summer of 2012, he visited some elderly members of the family back home to document the original recipe in preparation for launching the “Knafeh Café” in Anaheim.