What pastry is used for baklava?
Quick answer
Baklava is made with phyllo (also spelled filo) pastry, known in Turkish as yufka: paper-thin sheets of unleavened dough. Dozens of buttered layers are stacked with chopped nuts, usually pistachios or walnuts, baked until crisp and then soaked in sweet syrup or honey.
What is phyllo?
Phyllo comes from the Greek word for “leaf,” describing its paper-thin sheets. It’s made from flour, water, a little oil and sometimes vinegar, then rolled or stretched until almost see-through. Traditional baklava masters roll sheets so thin that you can read a newspaper through them.
A dish with Ottoman roots
Layered pastries existed in the ancient Middle East and Central Asia, but baklava as it’s known today was refined in the Ottoman palace kitchens of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. During Ramadan, the sultan traditionally sent trays of baklava to the elite Janissary soldiers in a ceremony known as the Baklava Procession.
Gaziantep baklava
The city of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey is famous for baklava made with bright green Antep pistachios. In 2013, Antep baklavası became the first Turkish product to receive Protected Geographical Indication status in the European Union.
Regional styles
| Region | Typical style |
|---|---|
| Turkey | Pistachio or walnut; sugar syrup; many shapes such as havuç dilimi (carrot slice) and şöbiyet (with cream) |
| Greece | Walnuts, often honey syrup with cinnamon and cloves |
| Lebanon and Syria | Pistachios or cashews; syrup with rose or orange blossom water |
| Iran | Almond and pistachio, flavored with rosewater and cardamom |
| Balkans | Walnuts; often very sweet |
Tips
- Pour cool syrup over hot baklava, or hot syrup over cool baklava, so it soaks in without going soggy.
- Store at room temperature, loosely covered, to keep it crisp.
For more desserts, see where tiramisu comes from. Visiting Turkey’s old capital? Read about the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
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