Jachnun has become popular in Israeli cuisine, where it is served in homes (usually on Shabbat), as fast food at roadside stalls, and in restaurants, events, and dining halls.

Jahnun is prepared from dough which is rolled out thinly and brushed with (traditionally) samneh, which is clarified butter spiced with 'hilbe' (fenugreek) and aged in a smoked vessel, traditionally using smoke from the wood of a specific tree, the דודינה tree (presumably Dodonaea viscosa, sheth in Arabic[2]), though regular clarified butter or shortening can be used.

This cooking process turns the dough a dark amber color, endowing it with a deep, sweet, caramelized taste.

It is traditionally served with resek agvaniyot (a fresh grated tomato dip), hard-boiled eggs, and zhug (a type of green herbal hot condiment).

Jachnun and its pan-fried cousin malawach probably originated as variations of Sephardic Jewish puff pastry, brought to Yemen by Jews expelled from Spain, according to Gil Marks.