Baklava

Turkey

About Baklava

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made from many paper-thin sheets of phyllo dough brushed with melted butter and layered with chopped walnuts or pistachios. It is baked until crisp and golden, then soaked in syrup or honey that seeps into every layer.

Its modern form was perfected in the kitchens of the Ottoman palace in Istanbul, and it is now enjoyed across Turkey, the Balkans, Greece, the Middle East and the Caucasus. Each region claims its own version, with different nuts, spices such as cinnamon or cardamom, and syrups scented with lemon, rose or orange blossom water.

The Turkish city of Gaziantep is especially famous for its pistachio baklava. Baklava is cut into diamonds or squares and served at weddings, religious holidays and family gatherings, often with a small cup of strong coffee or tea to balance its sweetness.

Ingredients

• phyllo dough
• walnuts
• pistachios
• butter
• sugar
• honey
• cinnamon