Baklava – AΦRODITE's KITCHEN | A Cyprus Food Blog (2024)

FAQs

Is baklava originally Greek or Turkish? ›

Neither Greeks nor Turks originated Baklava, as much as we both would like to lay claim. The origins of baklava date to 8th century BC Assyria, In their tradition, it may be made with any of pistachios, walnuts, or almond, but is flavoured with cardamom.

It has strong religious roots.

In Greece, it is traditionally made with thirty-three layers of dough which each layer representing one year of the life of Christ. It is also a common dessert for Muslims during Ramadan, and Eid ul-Fitr, as well as Pascha and Christmas for Christians.

Soggy baklava is often caused by either over-brushing the phyllo with too much butter (just use the amount listed in the recipe), not chilling the syrup (cold syrup hitting the hot baklava helps the steam to evaporate), or storing it tightly sealed and/or refrigerated (you don't want to seal in the moisture).

After baking, a syrup, which may include honey, rosewater, or orange flower water is poured over the cooked baklava and allowed to soak. Baklava is usually served at room temperature, and is often garnished with ground nuts.

While baklava itself is not uniquely Jewish, its integration into the culinary traditions of Sephardic Jews, who lived in regions under Ottoman rule, is well documented.

Baklava is made out of sugar (şerbet), yufka (sort of a flat layered dough) and antep fıstığı (pistachio). These three ingridients are very expensive in Turkey due to the shortages of production and current currency crisis.

Azerbaijan - Baklava is said to have some origins in the northern caucases as well, and it's no surprise that this country is home to some of the best baklava in the world. The traditional Azerbaijani recipe uses walnuts or pistachios, and the pastry is often soaked in syrup or honey before being served.

Baklava is a good source of essential vitamins and minerals

Nuts are an excellent source of heart-healthy fats, protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals like magnesium, vitamin E, and selenium. This makes Baklava a dessert that contributes positively to your nutrient intake.

Baklava has a really lengthy shelf life, lasting about 2+ weeks. It should be stored in an airtight container, either in room temperature or in the fridge. Storing in room temperature will preserve the crispness. If you like your baklava chewy and a bit harder, store it in the refrigerator.

As stated before, baklava mostly gets hard to chew and brittle, falling apart easily. For those who use a lot of honey or sugar syrup on their baklava, it can start to go bad when it gets too soggy to hold. Other signs to look out for is if it starts to fade in color or discolor altogether.

How to tell when baklava is done? ›

Bake: Place the baking dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes or until the top of the baklava turns golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. (IMPORTANT…Because ovens vary, be sure to check your baklava half-way through baking).

The Importance of Using a Sharp Knife

The other important thing is to be sure that you have a very sharp knife. The baklava should be cut before you bake it and recut again after baking to be sure all the pieces are separated.

First of all, we recommend that you drink a sip of your water before eating baklava. Depending on your preference, turn the baklava upside down either by taking the slice of baklava in your hand or by inserting the fork into the front of the baklava. Take the bottom of the baklava to your mouth and start eating.

Cold Baklava is a modern twist on traditional baklava, and although they share the same name, they're actually quite different.

To get the texture of the thin filo of the baklava you should never use fork and knife. You should hold on with your two fingers. Baklava contains syrup and most of the syrup is at the down side of the baklava. In order to make he best tasting, you should turn it up side down and feel it at the roof of the mouth.

Naturally, this dessert can be found in many cuisines, including the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and even the Greek cuisines. The first written record of baklava was found in the 10th-century book written in Urdu. It was only later that the Ottoman Empire would adopt this sweet treat into its cuisine.

Persian baklavas mostly have the dough made from flour and eggs, while Greek baklava is made from phyllo dough. Also, there has been baklava cake or syrup cake in Iran since ancient times. The baklava cake recipe is a cake with sweet syrup made from sugar, water, rose water, and saffron.

It was Greek merchants that were credited for bringing the earliest iterations of baklava to the west from the Middle East, where the wealthiest Assyrians (based in modern Lebanon and Egypt) were filling layers of unleavened dough with nuts and honey, baking it in wood-fired ovens as far back as the 8th Century BCE.