The Popular Ramadan Dessert Named After Gazelle Horns

Ramadan is observed yearly by Muslims around the world. The holiday falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and lasts for 29 to 30 days. During this time, worshippers abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. The practice is thought to help people feel closer to God, demonstrate unwavering self-control, and express empathy for those in need. For anyone unable to participate in fasting — such as young children, or those who might be pregnant — another way to gain that state of mind is to give back to those who are impoverished. The season tends to be a social time as families and mosques host group dinners to break the fast, along with special prayer ceremonies.

Like any holiday, there are plenty of seasonal foods that are enjoyed during the celebration. People often bake flavor-packed sugar cookies during Christmas and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but there's one special dessert that's eaten during Ramadan. Kaab el ghazal, also known as ka'ab al-ghazal or gazelle horns, is a sweet pastry enjoyed during Eid. In correlation to Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holiday as well as the fasting period. The Eid al-Adha holiday takes place 70 days later. 

Kaab el ghazal takes its name from the elegant gazelle and is formed to resemble the crescent shape of the animal's horns. Light and delicate, the dessert is made of a thin dough filled with spiced almond paste and scented with orange flower water.

Kaab el ghazal, although resembling gazelle horns, translates from Moroccan Arabic to "gazelle's heel." The origins of the dessert are difficult to trace as most Moroccan food is a mixture of different cultures due to emigration. Many Moroccan recipes also have European influences deriving from a history of French colonization. In fact, a version of kaab el ghazal is popular in France as a pastry called cornes de gazelles.

Best enjoyed with coffee or mint tea, kaab el ghazal's almond paste filling is often flavored with orange flower water and cinnamon, adding a warm spice with a fragrant floral kick. The dessert is usually glazed or dusted with powdered sugar. In addition to being shaped like a crescent moon, the treats are sometimes crimped or ruffled along the edges or textured on the outside. Kaab el ghazal can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for about a week, or frozen for several months. 

Other favorite desserts commemorating the end of Ramadan include a crunchy phyllo dough over a milk pudding called kunafa; luqaimat, also known as Middle Eastern doughnuts; and rice pudding. Dates are a staple Ramadan food and are enjoyed each day when the fast is broken. Medjool dates make the perfect snack for their health benefits, and hold deeply religious importance among Muslims, having been mentioned over 20 times in the Quran.