Which Lebanese cookies have sesame seeds on one side and pistachios on the other? Barazek are the answer.
Barazek are crisp Levantine cookies made from a buttery dough and coated with sesame seeds and chopped pistachios. In the familiar Syrian and Lebanese style, the two toppings are arranged on opposite faces, creating a distinctive contrast between toasted sesame and nutty pistachio.
The cookies are strongly associated with Damascus, particularly the Al-Midan neighborhood, although they are now common throughout Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and the wider Arab world. They are served in pastry shops, at celebrations, and alongside coffee or tea.
The sweet has a longer history than its small modern form suggests. Nineteenth-century descriptions recorded larger, flatter barazek-like cakes or breads covered with sesame, while later Damascene versions became thin, crisp cookies. Jerusalem also has a regional variation: large, very thin barazek baked in wood-fired ovens.
Barazek can be confused with ma'amoul because both are Levantine sweets, but ma'amoul is usually molded and filled with dates or nuts. Barazek are defined by their sesame-and-pistachio coating.