How one Lebanese family is preserving a rare Beirut dessert tradition: mufataka

At a shop in a busy, crowded Beirut district, one family is ensuring the traditional sweet of mufataka is preserved for future generations in the Lebanese capital.

A rice pudding made with turmeric, tahini sesame paste, sugar, and pine nuts, mufataka is traditional in Beirut but less known outside the city.

Hasan El-Makary, 73, said he used to sell other sweets in his shop but as demand grew for mufataka, he abandoned the rest and now just makes the yellow pudding, together with his cousin, who is also his business partner.

The rice must be soaked overnight, and Makary said he comes to the shop at 5am to make the dish, which takes around four hours and requires regular stirring.

The sugar, tahini paste, and pine nuts are also weighed out and mixed in a second pot before later combining it all to make the distinct yellow rice pudding.

Historically made once a year on the last Wednesday of April, families would gather at Beirut's public beach for the occasion known as "Job's Wednesday," a nod to the biblical and quranic figure celebrated for his patience - a quality also needed for making mufataka.