There’s something special that ties the Middle East, Turkey and Greece together. Whether there’s a birth, a wedding or Eid celebrations, you’ll find an iconic, sweet and flaky pastry making people’s mouths water: baklava.
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Ever since the eighth century BC, wealthy people in Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey – the latter two were known as Assyria in ancient times – have been baking unleavened dough, filled with nuts and honey. It’s considered to be the earliest form of baklava, and something that’s enjoyed even today.
The dessert is made with thin sheets of dough, called ‘yufka’ in Turkey or phyllo in Greece, layered on top of each other. The dough is filled, often with crushed pistachios, and melted butter is drizzled all over it before it’s baked to a crispy golden-brown colour, and drenched in sweet syrup.
While there’s still a raging debate over whether this iconic sweet originated in Turkey or Greece, most people believe it to be the former. Legend has it that the sweet dish we know today traces its roots to Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, where the Ottoman Empire reigned in the 17th century. A parade of freshly baked baklava was brought out of the palace on the 15th day of Ramadan, and served to soldiers at iftar, as a gift of appreciation for their hard work.
Soaked in rose syrup, filled with pistachios, and cut into melt-in-the-mouth, bite-sized squares, it apparently remains unchanged from the Turkish baklava you’d find in Gaziantep today. The Turkish city is known for producing some of the best pistachios in the world. In 2013, the European Union awarded Gaziantep baklava with ‘protected status’ – a designation that recognises specific local food, helps boost tourism to the region, and protects it from irritators.
So, how did this sweet make its way to Greek shores?
As it so often happened with spices and food, it came down to traders. Some historians think Greek merchants tried the Turkish baklava and introduced it to western parts of the country from the Middle East. The Greek version of baklava features a thicker, denser phyllo, layered with walnuts and honey, and sometimes spices like cinnamon and cardamom.
No matter who made it first, for centuries, the baklava has won over hearts around the world, and continues to do so today. Try your hand at it, with this recipe for chocolate hazelnut baklava.
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