The dairy cream also called ashta and used as a filling in many Lebanese desserts is qishta.
Qishta is a traditional Levantine dairy product made by heating fresh milk in wide, shallow pans. As the milk heats, proteins coagulate and trap fat, forming a thick layer that is collected as cream. Unlike yogurt, it is not fermented, and fresh qishta has a short shelf life.
Its names vary by language and transliteration: qishta, kishta, kashta, ghishta, ashta, and eshta can all refer to closely related preparations. It is commonly used in Lebanese sweets such as qatayef, layali Lubnan, othmalliyya, and rice pudding, often alongside pistachios, syrup, or orange-blossom flavoring.
Qishta is sometimes confused with kaymak or malai because all are rich dairy creams, but they are distinct regional products. Historical Arabic cookbooks describe similar heat-collected creams centuries ago, including a recipe recorded in a 13th- or 14th-century Egyptian cookbook.