Shredded Fillo Dough

Kunafa in Iraq is a somewhat confusing name. If kunafa is made baklawa style – that is, filled with nuts and drenched in heavy syrup – it is called baqlawat sha’riyya or qatayif. If the fine noodles are not allowed to brown, it is called baklawa balluriyya (lit. ‘looks like crystal’), white and translucent. When it is prepared as in the rest of the neighboring countries, spread in huge trays, filled with cheese, and kept warm for the day’s consumption, it is called knafa (Iraqi dialect).