AYOINDONESIA.COM - This spring, along the ancient streets of the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, sweet aromas are in the air.Inside, the houses of the residents are bustling with activity as extended family members and neighbors gather to make snacks like this very special biscuit.Every year, in the days leading up to Easter and Idul Fitri.Fitri, the Palestinian community and the entire Middle East make maamoul, as well as its simpler cousin, ka'ak, a flat round biscuit made from the same dough."You can't celebrate Easter without maamoul because this dish brings happiness," said Rawan Ghattas, a Christian from Bethlehem, who works with famous local chef Fadi Kattan.Like the Ghattas, Rawan Bazbazat, a Muslim art teacher and jewelry maker from Jerusalem, has been making sweet cakes since she was a child with her mother."On Eid al-Fitr, we always have to make maamoul. We can't celebrate this holiday without it," said Bazbazat.This sweet dish is made from a dough of semolina and ghee (although butter can be used as a substitute) and flavored with mahlab (crushed cherry seeds, which are found in pits) and gum (also known as Gum Arabic), which is a resin from the acacia tree.In addition to the sweetness that melts in the mouth, the maamoul design makes it look more attractive.Before baking, the dough is filled with pistachios doused in rose water, walnuts mixed with sugar and cinnamon, or dates that have been ground into a paste with a little oil or butter."The date maamoul is like a biscuit filled with cream, but not too puffy."said Anissa Helou, author of Feast Food of the Islamic World to the Islamic Guardian.Each of the three flavors is then placed into a special wooden mold called a qalab, or can also be formed by hand using a barbed clamp called a malqat.The maamoul dates traditionally have a circular shape with a flat top;the pistachio version is more like a pointed ellipse;while walnut-flavored biscuits are smaller in the shape of a circle with a dome-shaped top.Jalan Terusan Halimun No.50 Bandung City, West Java 40263 (022) 73517371 Email: info@ayomedia.com