🇹🇳 Tunisian Cuisine

Samsa

Almond and Sesame Diamond Pastry

Prep Time 1 hour
Servings 12
Difficulty Medium
Calories 268 kcal

Crispy phyllo pastry diamonds filled with ground almonds and sesame seeds, baked golden and soaked in fragrant lemon and rose water syrup.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Mix ground almonds, toasted sesame seeds, sugar, cinnamon, and orange blossom water into a fragrant filling.
  2. 2 Layer six sheets of phyllo in a buttered baking pan, brushing each sheet generously with melted butter.
  3. 3 Spread the almond-sesame filling evenly over the phyllo layers in a uniform layer across the entire surface.
  4. 4 Top with remaining six sheets of phyllo, each brushed with butter. Cut into diamond shapes before baking.
  5. 5 Bake at 180C for twenty-five minutes until deep golden brown and crispy on top and bottom edges.
  6. 6 Make syrup by boiling sugar and water with lemon juice for five minutes, add rose water, and pour hot over warm pastry.

Did You Know?

Every Tunisian pastry shop has its own secret ratio of almonds to sesame in samsa, and customers are fiercely loyal to their favorite.