AMMAN, Jordan — When Mohammad Qutaishat, the director of the Jordan Media Commission, received a letter from the prime minister’s office Oct. 24  that renewed his appointment, he did what most people in his position would do: He ordered two large trays of kanafeh for the entire office. 

Kanafeh, a popular Levantine sweet, is often consumed in Palestine and the Middle East to celebrate a wedding, birth, family feast, graduation, promotion or the first salary of a newly employed young person. Some sources claim kanafeh originated in southeastern Turkey, while others suggest Istanbul; still others claim the sweet originated in Nablus, Palestine, as early as the 10th century.

Kanafeh — made of wheat, cheese, ghee, rose water and sugar — is different from many of the other Middle Eastern sweets because its ingredients include cheese. As it is served hot, the cheese melts and adds a slightly salty taste to the sweetness.

The sweet is almost exclusively produced in family-owned pastry shops, such as Al-Aker, Shanteer, Arafat, Jafar in Jerusalem, and many have become famous brand names throughout Palestine, Jordan and the Middle East.