Epiphany traditional sweets – Zlebyeh

Epiphany (غطاس) is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of Jesus, the son of God: In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates the visit of the Magi, the three kings Gaspard, Balthazar and Melchior who came to pay their tribute to the world famous baby born Jesus. La galette des rois , is a typical french tradition celebrated on this day.

Moreover, the feast in Eastern Christianity commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river. Zlebyeh(زلابية) or fried dough is one of the Lebanese traditional sweets prepared that day.

The story says; on the epiphany day, Jesus met a poor woman, she was frying a dough to feed her children, so he multiplied and increased her dough. We fry zlebyeh to remember this act of kindness, asking God to increase our blessings.

Another tradition for that night, requires to prepare a small dough with coins inside and we hang it on the tree waiting for Jesus دايم دايم  to pass by midnight and bless it. This way our food and money are blessed for the whole year. I love these traditions, they are so beautiful and it’s nice to practice them and pass them on to our children.

You need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp yeast to be dissolved in 1/4 cup of warm water and a dash of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water

Mix flour, oil and sugar. Give the yeast 10 minutes to dissolve in the warm water with a dash of sugar, after that add it to the flour mix with another 1/2 cup of water. Knead well and let it rest (covered at room temperature) for at least 2-3 hours to double in size.

Divide into 10 strips (10-12 cm each). You can keep them as is like fingers or twist each two together like i did. Fry them until golden brown. Usually they are served with sugar, but some people like them with honey too.

This is my first post to this year, happy reading and happy Epiphany.

دايم دايم بالخير

دايم دايم بالصحة

دايم دايم بالمحبة

دايم دايم بالفرح

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