From her humble kitchen, Umm Islam’s sensational cookies spread Eid joy in Gharbia

Today we are heading to Gharbia Governorate in Delta, where women gather to make cookies while singing cheerful eid songs. Joined by children, women of Gharbia villages enjoy making cookies in preparation for Eid al-Fitr, believing it brings joy and celebration vibes into the villages. 

 

Having a tour in Kafr Salem al-Nahal village, we met with Safaa Abdel Halim, who is famous for making cookies for all the homes in the village council and neighboring villages. 

 

Inside her small house, Abdel Halim has an old oven and simple equipment where she bakes the cookies [Kahk]; however, the final product is a dazzling culmination of what craftsmanship and clarified butter can make. 

Yet, baking cookies was not the first craft that Abdel Halim mastered. Known as "Umm Islam," Abdel Halim said she began her life with a small poultry farming project, and also worked in collecting cardboard from shops, then sorting, and recycling it.

 

Afterwards, she bought a small oven. She had never imagined she would become one of the most famous masters in producing Eid cookies and related pastries like biscuits, petit fours, and ghorayeba [traditional Middle Eastern, melt-in-the-mouth, eggless butter cookies] in Gharbia governorate. 

 

 

 

Abdel Halim explained that she is 38 years old, and she started making cookies from her home kitchen more than 8 years ago. She learned the craft from her mother who used to bake the best pies that everyone in the village loved. 

 

 

When asked why everyone loved her cookies specifically, she explained that the secret lies in the use of natural and fresh ingredients, such as pure, locally sourced cow and buffalo ghee and flour. 

 

Abdel Halim revealed she only uses traditional sheet metal ovens and works using traditional methods, which gives her products a special flavor.