Tufahije – a sweet oriental story about apples and walnuts

Bosnian cuisine is known for its rich tradition and variety of flavors, and one of the most prominent dishes is the dessert known as tufaji. The name tufahija comes from the Arabic word tuffàh, which means apple, and testifies to the oriental influence on Bosnian gastronomy.

Tufahije are a traditional delicacy that arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina from Persia during the Ottoman period. This dessert consists of apples cooked in sugar syrup, filled with a mixture of ground walnuts or almonds, and decorated with whipped cream and often a cherry or cherry on top.

ALTHOUGH THE BASIC RECIPE IS UNIVERSAL, THERE ARE DIFFERENT VARIATIONS DEPENDING ON THE REGION OR PERSONAL PREFERENCES; SOME ADD RAISINS OR CHOCOLATE TO THE FILLING, WHILE OTHERS CHANGE THE RATIO OF THE INGREDIENTS TO ADJUST THE SWEETNESS.

Tufahije, Photo: CreativeFamily Depositphotos

RECIPE FOR TUFAHIJE

Ingredients:

• 7-8 medium-sized apples (e.g. golden delicious)
• 1 liter of water
• 300 g of sugar
• 1 vanilla sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 100 g ground walnuts / almonds
• Grated lemon zest
• 150 ml of whipped cream (whipped cream) for decoration
• Cherries, almonds or walnuts for decoration

Preparation:

Syrup: Mix water, sugar, vanilla sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Heat until boiling, creating a sugar syrup.

Apples: Wash and peel the apples, carefully hollow out the center to remove the seeds, making sure they keep their shape. Put the peeled apples in the prepared syrup and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes on each side, making sure they don’t soften too much.

Filling: In a bowl, mix ground walnuts/almonds, grated lemon zest and sugar syrup in which the apples were cooked until you get a homogeneous mixture.

Last step: Carefully fill the cooled apples with the prepared filling.

Before serving, decorate each stuffed apple with whipped cream and, if desired, add a sour cherry, almond or walnut on top.

Tufahije are traditionally served cold, which makes them a refreshing dessert after a hearty meal. Although they are high in calories due to the high content of sugar and walnuts, it is possible to adjust the recipe by reducing the amount of sugar or replacing part of the walnuts with other ingredients to get a lighter version of the dessert. Some prefer to bake them in the oven!

I invite you to try this traditional Bosnian dessert in your own home today… or at the weekend!

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