Hyderabad, Sept. 1 -- There was a time when saying 'Kunafa' in India could earn you a blank stare. Today, say it and chances are someone will immediately tell you about the best cheese pull they have had, argue over whether pistachio or Nutella is the superior topping, or send you an Instagram reel of a molten, syrup-soaked dessert being sliced open.

Hyderabad alone has seen Kunafa go from a relatively unfamiliar Middle Eastern sweet to something that seems to have found a home everywhere, from Mandi restaurants and neighbourhood dessert shops to cafes, luxury bakeries and viral social-media counters.

But nearly a decade ago, when very few Indians outside Middle Eastern-connected communities were actively looking for authentic Kunafa an...