Wikipedia's first sentence called it “sweet cake made of a semolina soaked in syrup”. Today it says “sweet”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Semolina or farina cake soaked in simple syrup”. It now reads “Semolina or farina cake soaked in syrup”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2020 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2020
Basbousa (also namoura , revani , and other names) is a traditional Middle Eastern sweet cake that originated in Egypt . .1It is made from a semolina batter in a pan, sweetened with orange flower water , rose water or simple syrup, and typically cut into diamond shapes.2It is found in most former areas of the Ottoman Empire , and is featured in Middle Eastern cuisines , Greek cuisine , Azerbaijani cuisine , Turkish cuisine , and many others. It is called basbousa in Egyptian Arabic , shamali in Armenian . The Persian name for the cake, samali , has also entered the Greek and Turkish . "Καλόν πράμαν ή σιάμαλι" . foodmuseum.cs.ucy.ac.cy (in Greek). Around the World in Twelve Plates – Egyptian Basbousa , Basbousa is an Egyptian classic cake made from durum semolina and a whole lot of dairy which is also popular in many other Middle Eastern countries.3Encyclopedia of Jewish Food .4
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 959883317.
The opening as it stood in 2010
Basbousa topped with walnut Basbousa (Arabic), revani (Turkish) or ravani and revani (Greek ραβανί and ρεβανί) is a sweet cake made of a semolina soaked in syrup . Coconut is a popular addition. The syrup may also optionally contain orange flower water or rose water . It is found in the cuisines of the Eastern Mediterranean under a variety of names. It appears to be a variant of the Egyptian dish ma'mounia . In southern Greece, it is called ravani, while in the north, it is called revani. It is a traditional dessert in Veria . Basbousa is often called "Hareesa" in Levantine Arabic countries.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 365967903.
The opening as it stood in 2015 6 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Basbousa , ) is a traditional Middle Eastern sweet cake.It is made of cooked semolina or farina soaked in simple syrup . Coconut is a popular addition. The syrup may also optionally contain orange flower water or rose water .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 663148170.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 6 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Semolina or farina cake soaked in syrup Basbousa ( ) is a sweet, syrup-soaked semolina cake that originated in Egypt.The semolina batter is baked in a sheet pan, then sweetened with orange flower water , rose water or simple syrup, and typically cut into diamond (lozenge) shapes or squares.The dish has also spread within most areas of the former Ottoman Empire , and is generally featured in Middle Eastern cuisines , Maghrebi cuisine , Greek cuisine , Azerbaijani cuisine , Ethiopian cuisine , and many others. Encyclopedia of Jewish Food .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1177418006.
The opening as it stood in 2025 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Semolina or farina cake soaked in syrup Basbousa ( Arabic : بسبوسة , romanized : basbūsah ) is a sweet, syrup-soaked semolina dessert that is typically associated with Egyptian cuisine .Similar but slightly different dishes are also popular in the wider region. The semolina batter is baked in a sheet pan, then sweetened with sugar syrup and typically cut into diamond (lozenge) shapes or squares.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1297263929. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “sweet cake made of a semolina soaked in syrup”. Today it says “sweet”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Semolina or farina cake soaked in simple syrup”. It now reads “Semolina or farina cake soaked in syrup”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
sweet cake made of a semolina soaked in syrup
Now
sweet
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
