Buff is an Arabic corruption of the English word puff

Madinian Buffs

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Preparation info
  • Makes

    48

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
The Red Sea Cookbook: Over 100 family recipes and stories from Saudi Arabia

By Madeeha Qureshi

Published 2026

  • About

These firm family favourites are bite-sized savoury parcels with crinkly edges that are usually a centrepiece at the Saudi Iftar table during Ramadan. As the buff fries, it balloons up and looks like a fluffy pillow with a crispy exterior and a steamy, slightly stretchy thin pastry inside, and a filling that rattles around.

Madinian Buffs were originally made using a rich beef and egg filling but, as time evolved, fillings have changed and diversified. These days beef can be substit