Turkey In
Turkish cuisine, baklava is traditionally filled with pistachios, walnuts or almonds (in some parts of the
Aegean Region). In the
Black Sea Region hazelnuts are commonly used as a filling for baklava.
Hazelnuts are also used as a filling for the
Turkish dessert Sütlü Nuriye, a lighter version of the dessert which substitutes
milk for the
simple syrup used in traditional baklava recipes.
Midye Baklava is a mussel-shaped baklava filled with nuts.
Pistachio sarma baklava is a green rolled baklava with ground pistachio butter filling.
Şöbiyet is a variation that includes
kaymak as the filling, in addition to the traditional nuts. The city of
Gaziantep in south-central Turkey is famous for its baklava made from locally grown pistachios, often served with
kaymak cream. The dessert was introduced to Gaziantep in 1871 by Çelebi Güllü, who had learned the recipe from a chef in
Damascus. and in 2013, or was registered as a
Protected Geographical Indication by the
European Commission. Gaziantep baklava is the first Turkish product to receive a protected designation from the European Commission.
Azerbaijan Azerbaijani baklava () is made mostly for special occasions (like
Nowruz). Pastry,
cardamom, and
saffron are used for the preparation. Nuts (mostly
hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts) and sugar are used as the filling, and syrup is used as a sweetener. Ethnic groups native to different regions (like
Lezgins and
Tat people) have contributed to some regional variations.
Tenbel pakhlava is filled with almonds or walnuts and consists of 8-10 layers. Its top layer is coated with
yolk. Half a
walnut is placed on each diamond-shaped piece.
Ganja pakhlava has a filling of almond, sugar and cardamom. 18 layers of dough are used.
Guba pakhlava has a top layer that is coated with
saffron. It uses 50 rishta layers.
Sheki pakhlava, or
Sheki halva, is made from rishta (dough made from
rice flour), filling (hazelnut,
cardamom) and syrup. Baklava also exists in
Romanian cuisine, being known as in Romanian. It is one of the most preferred desserts among Romanians together with
kanafeh () and . In
Romania, some
Turkish pastry shops that sell baklava have notable popularity. They are common in the south and southeast of the country, but some also exist in its east. In Bulgaria, baklava is commonly associated with the winter holidays, especially Christmas Eve and New Year.
Uzbek and Tatar Uzbek cuisine has , or or in
Tatar , which are sweet and salty savories () prepared with 10–12 layers of dough.
Greece In
Greek cuisine,
walnuts are more common than pistachios, and the dessert is flavored with
cinnamon. Greek baklava () comes in many regional guises, with different names such as samousades, zournadakia, and masourakia. Generally speaking, in
southern Greece baklava is mostly made with chopped almonds and in the
north with walnuts. Some recipes use hazelnuts, sesame or raisins. The syrup is made of sugar, honey, water, cinnamon and orange or lemon
zest and juice. Greek baklava is supposed to be made with 33
filo dough layers, referring to the years of
Jesus's life.
Iran Iranian baklava () is less crisp and uses less syrup than other baklava variations. The cities of
Yazd,
Tabriz,
Qazvin,
Kashan and the
Gilan province are famous for their baklava variations, which are widely distributed in
Iran. Iranian baklava uses a combination of chopped almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts and pistachios spiced with
saffron,
cardamom or
jasmine. For the syrup,
rose water, lemon juice, sugar, honey, and water are used. Iranian baklava may be cut into diamonds or squares. When it is finished it is often garnished with chopped pistachios,
rose petals, jasmine or
coconut powder depending on the region.
Algeria Baklava in Algeria is called
Baklawa (,
Tifinagh: ). In most Algerian regions, Baklava is the centerpiece of any sweets table. This type of Baklava originates in the
Algerian city of
Constantine. The Algerian Baklava is distinct in that
filo dough is not used. Instead, they use another type of thin dough called
malsouka or warqa and instead of walnuts or pistachios they use
almonds. Like other forms of baklava, the layered pastry is cut into diamond-shaped pieces and has one almond placed on top of each piece before being baked. It is then soaked in a syrup of honey, sugar, and
lemon juice.
The Levant In
Syrian cuisine, baklava (, ) or
warbat (), is a dessert mostly served on special occasions like
Eid al-Fitr, or
Syrian Christmas. Syrian baklava is made of 24 layers of buttered phyllo dough, a filling of either chopped pistachios or chopped walnuts and a syrup consisting of sugar,
orange blossom water, and lemon juice. Syrian baklava comes in many shapes, but the diamond shape is the most common one. Syrian
warbat consists of layers of
phyllo dough filled with a semolina based
custard, though it is sometimes also filled with pistachios, walnuts, almonds, The dessert is topped with a
sweet syrup made from sugar, water, and
lemon juice brought to a boil and then left to cool and thicken. A Syrian baklava recipe was introduced to the Turkish city of
Gaziantep in 1871 by Çelebi Güllü, who had learned the recipe from a chef in the city of
Damascus which transformed into the Gaziantep baklava we know today. The butter used in Syrian baklava is a type of dairy-based clarified butter or ghee called
samneh. "Baklava" is also used as a generic term for a selection of sweets made with pyllo pastry or
kadayif (
knafeh) to make confections like
balluriyeh (layered),
bourma (rolled), and ''
bulbul's nest'' (nest-shaped). Syrian and Lebanese baklava is traditionally flavored with
rose water.
Kul wa-shkur () is a variety of baklava made in Syria and Lebanon by folding phyllo sheets around a nut filling. It is diamond-shaped and often has either one
hazelnut, almond, or half a walnut placed on each piece. It is often served at special occasions like
Armenian Christmas or
Armenian Easter. Armenian baklava has some variations on how many phyllo layers are supposed to be used. One variation uses 40 sheets of dough to align with the 40 days of Lent
Jesus spent in the desert where he fasted. Another variation is similar to the Greek style of baklava, which is supposed to be made with 33 dough layers, referring to the years of Jesus's life. The city of
Gavar makes Its own version of baklava. It is made with 25 dough layers, has a filling of cleaned and dried chopped walnuts, sugar and a syrup that is poured over the finished baklava consisting of
honey and
flowers. This type of baklava used to be prepared in the then-Armenian city of
Bayazet, but the people living there immigrated to Gavar and surrounding regions in 1830. The tradition of pakhlava preparation in Kyavar (Gavar) is included in the intangible cultural heritage list of
Armenia.
Other There are many variants of Baklava in
Maghrebi cuisine that are eaten to this day. Owing to its ancient origins,
Assyrian people today continue to enjoy baklava and eat it as part of their larger cuisine. ==Gallery==