Ethnic Sweets From Nazareth

## What is Iswara (Bracelet)?

The world's finest pistachios crushed inside our secret pastry dough rolled in the shape of bracelets. Ingredients Wheat starch, pistachios (or pine nuts and cashews), sugar, flour, butter, butter ghee, corn oil, salt. Characteristics Iswara resembles very closely to the other Palestinian pastry called Asabi (Fingers) except that it is shaped into a circular ring resembling a bracelet. It is crunchy, light, and small in size which make it great for those who want a small bite of sweetness without much calories. Meaning and Pronunciation of "Iswara" Pronounced [is-wa-rah], it is Palestinian for "bracelet". It got its name because it is rolled in the shape of circular rings resembling bracelets. How is Iswara Made? First the dough and the sugar syrup are prepared, then the dough is filled with nuts, rolled into long strings then shaped into circular bracelets and baked. Preparation of the Dough Iswara (Bracelet) pastries are made of the same dough used in original Baklava which is a dough that resembles phyllo dough, but that is substantially thinner than commonly found phyllo dough. To make the dough, flour, water, and salt are mixed together. The dough is then kneaded extensively to form very thin layers. Preparation of Iswara in the Shape of Bracelets After each sheet of dough is kneaded in the form of a disk, it is flipped around its diameter using a rod to form a half disk. Then the filling made of raw pine kernels and cashews is added along the long side of the dough. The dough is next rolled over the filling in the shape of long strings with the help of a long rod. Finally, the long strings are cut then shaped into circular rings taking the form of bracelets and garnished with either pistachios or pine kernels. Baking of Iswara The nuts filled bracelet shape dough pieces are placed on a baking sheet and topped with butter ghee. After baking on high temperature for about one hour after which the remaining butter ghee is drained, hot sugar syrup is added and the sweet bracelets are left to cool. Serving Suggestions Iswara constitutes a relatively light dessert and thus the perfect dessert after a heavy meal. It is usually served as part of assorted Baklava arrangements. Popularity Iswara is most popular in Lebanon and in Middle Eastern countries. Classification Iswara is one of the Assorted Baklava pastries that is made with phyllo-like dough. Assorted baklava pastries are made of two forms of dough: Paper thin sheets of dough that resemble the phyllo dough and thin strings of dough called knafeh dough. Iswara takes advantage of the thinness of the dough that enables it to be rolled over many layers to form the shape of elegant bracelets. It is an element of Palestinian sweets.