Kahk

KaakorKaak el-Eid(Egyptian Arabic:كحكorكحك العيد[ˈkæħkelˈʕiːd]),  is a small circularbiscuitthat originated inEgyptand is eaten across the Arab world to celebrateEid al-Fitr.It is covered withpowdered sugarand can be stuffed withʿagameyya(عجمية[ʕæɡæˈmej.jæ], a mixture of honey, nuts, andghee),lokum, walnuts, pistachios, or dates, or simply served plain.Date-filled kahk are believed to be the origin ofmaamoul, a similar Eid biscuit eaten in theLevant.This dish also popular in Indonesia and called askue kaakas result of acculturation between Arabs and Indonesian. Usually served duringMawlidorEid ul-Fitr.
Kaak is an important part of Egyptian and Sudanese culture. In addition to its role in Eid, when it is often served to guests,it is also eaten as part of a wedding feast and is occasionally served at other holiday feasts, namelyMawlid.Baking kaak is a traditional and social activity in the region: women of a village or neighborhood, gather together to bake kaak, chat, and swap stories and recipes.Sometimes, Egyptians will prepare their kaak at home before taking it to a communal or commercial bakery to be baked and cooled.Families typically exchange kaak as gifts, and friendly informal competitions over whose kaak is best are common.The designs stamped on kaak can be elaborate and are sources of pride for Egyptian families. Kaak molds, typically made from wood or ceramic, are often passed down from generation to generation. While bakeries have always sold premade kaak, buying kaak from a bakery has increased in popularity in urban Egypt in recent years.However, store-bought kaak is relatively expensive—reaching£E170 per kilo as of April 2023(minimum wage £E3000 in 2023)—so many Egyptians, particularly those in rural areas, still bake their own.
The wordkahkcomes from theCoptic languagewordⲕⲁϩⲕ[kɑhk]. Other Arabic speaking people may phono-semantically match the Egyptian word to the familiar Arabickaʿk(كعك[kæʕk,ˈkaʕek], "cakes").
Kahk is believed to date back toAncient Egypt: carvings depicting people making kahk have been found in the ruins of temples inMemphisandThebesand in 3500-year-oldEighteenth Dynastytombs. Ancient kahk were made in a variety of geometric shapes—more than 100 designs have been found—and stamped with an image of the solar disk, a symbol of the sun godRa. Ancient Egyptians also baked pie-sized kahk, calledshurik, before visiting tombs of their ancestors. Theseshurikwere believed to function as magical amulets.Kahk remained popular as Egypt converted from traditional religion to Christianity, often being served on special occasions, especially Easter.
Kahk's Islamic history began with theTulunid dynasty, whose bakers made kahk molds imprinted with the wordskol wishkur("eat and thank God"), though kahk rose to prominence under the 10th centuryIkhshidid dynasty, who were the first to include it in the Eid al-Fitr feast. An Ikhshidid minister, Abu Bakr Mohammed bin Ali al-Madrani, was known to hidegold dinarsin some kahk that were distributed to the people, a practice that entered local folklore and was emulated by later Egyptian rulers. For instance, theFatimidCaliph spent 20,000 dinars baking and distributing gold-filled kahk for Eid in 1124 CE/518 AH, an operation of such complexity that it had to be started inRajab, the month preceding Ramadan, and required the creation of a special government department, theDiwan al-Fitr. Likewise, CaliphAl-Azizbuilt a 1350 meter long table piled high with 60 different kinds of kahk andghorayibah, some of which contained gold coins.Distribution of kahk was an important and effective means of raising public support for the Fatamid government, both as a means of appeasing the public, à la "bread and circuses," and as a form ofpropaganda, since kahk was stamped with messages calling for loyalty to the state or specific leaders. Archaeologists have found Fatimid-era kahk molds inscribed with messages such as "eat and thank God your Lord" ("كل وأشكر مولاك") and "thank Hafeza" ("تسلم ايديكي يا حفيظة"), with Hafeza being an official responsible for manufacturing kahk. The latter message is also an early example of branding.
When the SunniAyyubid dynastyreplaced theIsma'iliShia Fatimids in 1174, Ayyubid SultanSalah ad-Dinattempted to stamp out Fatimid customs, including eating kahk on Eid. Despite his great influence on Egyptian culture and politics, he failed to get rid of kahk, attesting to the dessert's importance to Egyptians. State distribution of kahk was revived underMamelukrule. The Mameluk Sultans distributed kahk for Eid and Easter, especially to socioeconomically marginalized groups like Sufis, students, and the poor, though there is no evidence that they hid gold coins in their kahk. Like the Fatimids before them, the Mameluks distributed kahk to pacify the population and build support for their rule.Distribution of kahk to the poor and disadvantaged was continued underOttomanrule.During the 14th and 15th centuries, charitable trusts—awqaf—were highly associated with baking and distributing kahk.
During the Islamic period, the Christian cross on kahk was replaced with sayings, geometric designs (including the original images of the solar disk), or stylized depictions of foliage. Several Fatimid-era kahk molds are on display in theMuseum of Islamic Artin Cairo as important examples of Islamic art andArabic calligraphy.