Baklava is a Greek pastry made with phyllo dough, honey, nuts, and orange essence. It originated in the Ottoman Empire and spread throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. Making baklava involves layering phyllo dough and nuts, baking it, and pouring syrup over it.
Baklava is a type of Greek pastry traditionally made with phyllo dough, honey, nuts and orange essence. Many other Middle Eastern nations have pastries that are very similar, thanks to a long tradition of sweets that feature a flaky, delicate pastry. While baklava was originally considered a food for the wealthy, today it can be found in many Greek pastry shops and specialty shops around the world. Baklava can also be made at home if the cook is experienced with phyllo dough.
The word baklava has Turkish origins, reflecting the fact that the dish was perfected in the Ottoman Empire of Turkey. During the period of the Ottoman Empire, Greeks and Turks mixed freely, exchanging foods and cultural traditions. The result was a rich culinary mix of the Middle East and the Mediterranean, including things like dolmas and baklava, two popular foods commonly associated with Greek cuisine today.
To make the baklava, the cook starts with phyllo dough, a type of very fine pastry dough that comes in sheets that bake in fluffy, crispy layers. Phyllo dough is notoriously difficult to handle, because it’s so fine and dries easily. Most cooks keep phyllo dough under a cloth in a damp kitchen as they work and assemble dishes quickly, before the dough has a chance to become brittle and unworkable.
Cooks begin by brushing a thick pan with melted butter and placing a single sheet of phyllo dough on the plate. This layer is brushed again before another layer is applied and brushed, and so on until half of the phyllo dough is used. A layer of chopped nuts, traditionally pistachios, is made and the rest of the phyllo dough is layered on top in the same way used to assemble the bottom. Then the dish is baked in a 350-degree Fahrenheit (180-degree Celsius) oven until golden brown, which typically takes about 20 minutes.
The baklava is allowed to cool and then cut, often into fancy shapes like diamonds. A syrup is made from honey, sugar, lemon juice, and orange water, heated together on the stove until they reach a thick consistency. The syrup is poured over the baklava pieces and allowed to soak, creating a sweet, rich, moist dessert. When stored in a cool, dry place, baklava can last a long time, as the sugars will prevent it from decomposing.
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