kleja

The Kleja is considered one of the traditional heritage dishes that the city of Buraydah has been famous for hundreds of years. It was made at home by women, especially older women, because of their experience in preparing it. It is a cake made of brown flour, local ghee or olive oil, warm water and cinnamon, stuffed with honey, date molasses or sugar with black lemon. It is baked at a certain temperature to give the kleija discs a golden appearance, puffed with a delicious and delicious taste. The kleija is part of the customs and traditions followed in the past on wedding occasions, which are classified within the traditions of marriage gifts presented by the wife to the husband’s family during the marriage ceremony. It is a rich meal with nutrients that can be stored for a long time, and which provides the body with energy because it contains calories and nutritional value. Therefore, it is considered a winter food. It is eaten with hot milk, and it is often eaten with Arabic coffee, especially nowadays.

Nowadays, the Kleja industry has flourished and expanded, as it has received great support to preserve it as a cultural heritage for the Buraydah community and to transform it into a profitable economic product for families and women, also to promote work from home by developing plans and programs for financial and qualifying support for this category and organizing festivals and events, the most prominent of which is the “Annual Kleja Festival.” The first version of which was launched with the idea and initiative of His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Faisal bin Mishal bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Emir of the Qassim region, in the year 1430 AH - 2009 AD. The product developed into the establishment of advanced commercial projects, factories and bakeries to produce kleja using the latest methods and technologies and it became an important economic product in the city of Buraidah and beyond.