Consumed widely in the 1800s and early 1900s, this labor-intensive tahini and rice pudding is getting harder and harder to find—but one family is keeping it alive.
Tucked away in the bustling Basta area of Lebanon’s capital is a no-frills sweet shop that specializes in just one dessert: mfata’a, or rice and tahini pudding. On its window is a sign that boastfully reads “Tastiest Mfata’a in Beirut.” Inside, seven days a week, Abu Abdullah Makari and his partner are surrounded by dozens of plates of the curious looking, saffron-colored sweet dish.
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