Baklava

Baklava is a rich pastry made from dozens of paper-thin sheets of filo, each brushed with butter and layered with chopped nuts — most often walnuts or pistachios. After baking until deep gold and crisp, it is drenched in honey or a sugar syrup scented with lemon or rose.

It is cut into diamonds or squares and served in small pieces with strong coffee or tea. The contrast of the shatteringly crisp top layers and the syrup-soaked base is what makes it irresistible.

Layered nut pastries have ancient roots, but baklava as we know it was perfected in the kitchens of the Ottoman court in Istanbul, where paper-thin filo became a highly skilled craft. From there it spread across Greece, the Balkans, Turkey and the Middle East, each region adding its own nuts and syrups.

Baklava is a celebration food, appearing at weddings, religious holidays and family gatherings. Its exact origins are proudly claimed by several nations — a delicious rivalry that reflects a shared regional heritage.