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Baklava, the world-famous sherbet dessert, is hands down, one of the most remarkable delicacies of Turkish cuisine. Baklava is an incredible dessert to taste during your visit to Türkiye. It is also a great treat to satisfy your sweet tooth anytime. Irresistibly crunchy and juicy in every bite, this delectable dessert is made by putting crushed pistachios, nuts or walnuts between 40 layers of thin and specific phyllo before baking and pouring sugary sherbet. However, if you need a special occasion to taste Turkish baklava and learn about its journey from imperial kitchens to modern-day tables, it is on 17 November, World Baklava Day!

A Regal, Ceremonial Dessert

Baklava making was honed in the imperial kitchens of the Ottoman Empire, resulting in a sumptuous dessert with sophisticated delicacy. Only master chefs specially trained in baklava making would prepare it, especially during celebrations and ceremonies. While the skilful hands of master chefs created baklava’s perfect flavour, with its paper-thin layers and inspissated sherbet, this unique dessert has passed on the present as culinary heritage. Inherited from generation to generation with its traditional flavour and elaborate recipe, baklava relieves our sweet craving every time, whether it decorates our tables after every meal or is served on home visits. Serving it during special days like weddings and Eid bairams is still a cherished tradition.

Türkiye’s 1st Registered Taste: Gaziantep Baklava

Most would agree that the best baklava is made in Gaziantep, in Türkiye’s southeastern region. In 2013, the European Commission gave Gaziantep Baklava a protected designation-of-origin status, making it the first-ever Turkish product registered in their list. It’s not surprising that the outrageous taste of Gaziantep baklava is authenticated, as the city is a culinary heaven with an impressive cuisine of premiere delicacies. The city’s cuisine earned praise earlier by making it to UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in gastronomy.

Baklava making, like in Ottoman imperial kitchens, is passed from generation to generation in Gaziantep through a master-apprentice relationship. The only way to gain this unmatched taste is skill, attention to detail, and precision. Masters spread the phyllo into 40 or 45 layers by filling them with local pistachios and butter. The pastry is then baked in stone oakwood-fired ovens. Sherbet is poured over the baked pastry.

When it comes to tasting Gaziantep baklava, it stimulates the senses. You first see its golden yellow colour, then hear the rustling of phyllo dough layers and smell the aroma of fresh pistachios and butter. Lastly, it leaves a very light but luscious taste on the palate. Enjoy!

Endless Varieties

Although Gaziantep baklava is the most popular, this dessert stands out with endless variety and great scrumptiousness in every region. The most critical difference among baklava varieties is the filling. In every region, baklava filling is prepared with the available local ingredients. As Türkiye has a vast geography with different microclimates and local products, the ingredients for baklava filling vary in every corner. For instance, Gaziantep baklava has a filling of pistachios, whereas the Black Sea region uses hazelnuts. Baklava filled with walnuts is also popular in Central Anatolia. Moreover, in the Thrace region, you can enjoy baklava filled with almonds or topped with sesame seeds.

Other baklava varieties take on different names according to their cutting methods and ingredients. Among diverse varieties named in line with cutting methods are “havuç dilimi baklava” (carrot-slice baklava), “midye baklava” (mussel-shaped baklava), and “bülbül yuvası” (nightingale’s nest-shaped baklava). When it comes to ingredients, “sütlü nuriye” is made with milk instead of sherbet, “fıstık sarma” (pistachio wrap) and “ceviz sarma” (walnut wrap) has enormous amounts of nuts compared to original baklava and kuru (dry) baklava feature less sherbet.

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Photo: provided by the Embassy of Türkiye in Turkmenistan