The Turkish dessert made from shredded pastry, cheese, and syrup, then baked until crisp, is künefe.
Künefe uses fine strands of shredded pastry, called kadayıf, layered around a soft, stretchy cheese. It is baked or cooked until the exterior is crisp, then soaked with sugar syrup and commonly garnished with pistachios. It is traditionally served hot so the cheese remains soft and pulls into strands.
The dessert belongs to the wider family of knafeh or kunafa preparations found across the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Turkish künefe is particularly associated with Hatay, especially Antakya, and often uses a local unsalted cheese suited to melting.
Künefe is sometimes confused with baklava because both use pastry and syrup. Baklava is built from thin sheets of filo and usually contains nuts between the layers, while künefe is defined by shredded pastry and a cheese center.