Baklava
Baklava developed in the Ottoman imperial kitchens of Istanbul, where it became the court's signature dessert. The annual Baklava Alayı — a ceremonial procession delivering trays to the Janissary troops on the fifteenth of Ramadan — shows how central the sweet was to Ottoman ceremonial life. Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, and others all lay claim to it; the city of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey holds a UNESCO Geographical Indication for its version. The key technique is temperature contrast: pour cold syrup onto hot baklava, or hot syrup onto room-temperature pastry — never both hot at once, which makes the layers soggy. The butter used to brush each phyllo sheet should be clarified, with milk solids removed. Gaziantep pistachios are the traditional nut.
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 8 servings
- 500g phyllo pastry sheets, thawed
- 200g unsalted butter, melted
- 200g walnuts, finely chopped
- 100g pistachios, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 300g sugar
- 200ml water
- 2 tbsp honey plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
How to make it
- 1Make the syrup first: dissolve sugar in water, boil 5 minutes, add honey and lemon juice, boil 5 more minutes; leave to cool completely — the syrup must be cold when poured over hot baklava.
- 2Mix the walnuts with pistachios and cinnamon; grease a 33x23cm baking tray with melted butter.
- 3Layer 8 phyllo sheets, brushing each with butter; scatter a generous layer of nut mixture.
- 4Cover with 4 buttered phyllo sheets, then another nut layer; repeat until the nuts are used up, finishing with 8 buttered phyllo sheets.
- 5Cut into diamonds or squares before baking; bake at 160 degrees C for 45-50 minutes until pale golden.
- 6The moment it comes out of the oven, pour the cold syrup all over — the temperature contrast helps the baklava absorb every drop; leave to rest 2-3 hours before serving.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
