"Since they're often interchangeable doughs, it's easy to assume that kataifi pastry is simply shredded filo. But rather than being rolled and stretched into paper-thin sheets like filo (or phyllo, depending who you ask) kataifi begins as a light, pourable batter which is streamed through fine nozzles on to a rotating heated plate, where it cooks almost instantly into a cascade of fine vermicelli-like strands, delicate yet strong, like spun silk."
"But where you couldn't find it earlier this year was in a single fridge section across Australian retailers. According to Effi Tsoukatos, marketing manager and recipe developer for Antoniou pastry, one of the largest manufacturers of kataifi in the country, the popularity of Dubai chocolate, where fried kataifi is a main ingredient, led to a rush. We couldn't make it fast enough, she told me. For those desperate enough, people were selling it for almost quadruple the price. People were scalping kataifi!"
Kataifi is formed from a light, pourable batter streamed through fine nozzles onto a heated plate, producing delicate vermicelli-like strands that are both fragile and strong. The strands are best gently fluffed and separated before use. Kataifi appears across Ottoman-influenced cuisines in syrup-soaked sweets such as baklava, ekmek and kunefe/knafeh/kunafa, wrapped around seafood like scallops and prawns, or layered into savoury pies that mix crunch with comfort. A recent surge in popularity tied to Dubai chocolate caused shortages in Australian retailers, with manufacturers unable to meet demand and some sellers scalping packets.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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