View source for Baklava

{{Short description|Layered pastry dessert}}
{{For|the North Macedonian music group|Baklava (band)}}
{{distinguish|Balaclava (disambiguation){{!}}Balaclava}}{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Baklava
| image = Baklava(1).png
| image_size = 250px
| country = Ottoman Empire
| region = 
| caption = [[Pistachio]] baklava from [[Gaziantep]], Turkey
| course = Dessert
| served = Cold, room temperature or re-warmed
| main_ingredient = [[Phyllo|Filo]] pastry, [[Nut (fruit)|nuts]], syrup
| variations = Multiple
| calories = 
| other = 
}}

'''Baklava''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɑː|k|l|ə|ˈ|v|ɑː|,_|ˈ|b|ɑː|k|l|ə|v|ɑː|audio=GT Baklava.ogg}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baklava |title=Merriam-Webster |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=2012-04-22 |archive-date=2012-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126102543/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baklava |url-status=live }}</ref> or {{IPA-cen|b|ə|ˈ|k|l|ɑː|v|ə}};<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/baklava?q=baklava |title=Oxford Dictionaries |publisher=Oxford Dictionaries |access-date=2012-04-22 |archive-date=2022-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430004615/https://languages.oup.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> {{langx|ota|باقلوا}}) is a layered pastry dessert made of [[filo]] pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It was one of the most popular sweet pastries of [[Ottoman cuisine]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Isin |first=Priscilla Mary |title=Bountiful Empire: A History of Ottoman Cuisine |date=2018 |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=9781780239392 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0D5tDwAAQBAJ |access-date=2021-01-21 |archive-date=2022-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430004635/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Bountiful_Empire/0D5tDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

There are several theories for the origin of the pre-Ottoman version of the dish. In modern times, it is a common dessert among cuisines of countries in [[West Asia]], [[Southeast Europe]], [[Central Asia]], and [[North Africa]]. It is also enjoyed in [[Pakistan]] and [[Afghanistan]], where, although not a traditional sweet, it has carved out a niche in urban centers.

==Etymology==
The word ''baklava'' is first attested in English in 1650,<ref>{{cite OED|baklava|9163123493}}</ref> a borrowing from {{langx|ota|باقلاوه}} {{IPA|/bɑːklɑvɑː/}}.<ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster|baklava }}</ref><ref name="dict">{{cite Dictionary.com|baklava }}</ref> The name ''baklava'' is used in many languages with minor phonetic and spelling variations. The earliest known reference to baklava is in a poem by the 15th century mystic [[Kaygusuz Abdal]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Işın |first=Priscilla Mary |title=Sherbet and Spice: The Complete Story of Turkish Sweets and Desserts |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2013 |isbn=978-1848858985 |pages=32}}</ref>

The historian Paul D. Buell argues that the word ''baklava'' may come from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] root ''{{lang|mn|baγla-}}'' 'to tie, wrap up, pile up' composed with the [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] verbal ending ''-v'';<ref name="Buell"/> baγla- itself in Mongolian is a Turkic loanword.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sukhbaatar |first=O. |year=1997 |title=A Dictionary of Foreign Words in Mongolian |language=mn |location=[[Ulaanbaatar]] |publisher=Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Language and Literature|url=http://altaica.narod.ru/LIBRARY/e_sukheb.htm |access-date=2008-10-08 |page=25 |format=PDF |oclc=46685208 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925074540/http://altaica.narod.ru/LIBRARY/e_sukheb.htm |archive-date=2006-09-25 }}</ref> The lexicographer [[Sevan Nişanyan]] considers its oldest known forms (pre-1500) to be ''baklağı'' and ''baklağu'', and labels it as being of Proto-Turkic origin.<ref>Nişanyan, Sevan (2009) (in Turkish). Sözlerin Soyağacı - Çağdaş Türkçenin Etimolojik Sözlüğü [Words' Family Tree - An Etymological Dictionary of Contemporary Turkish]. İstanbul. http://nisanyansozluk.com/?k=baklava {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714184508/http://nisanyansozluk.com/?k=baklava |date=2011-07-14 }}</ref> Another form of the word is also recorded in Persian, {{lang|fa|باقلبا}} (''{{lang|fa-Latn|bāqlabā}}'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.loghatnaameh.com/dehkhodaworddetail-e134b0f538ae4d14b9c367f1c7ee1ab4-fa.html |title=Dehkhoda Persian Dictionary, باقلبا |website=Loghatnaameh.com |access-date=2012-04-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003184850/http://www.loghatnaameh.com/dehkhodaworddetail-e134b0f538ae4d14b9c367f1c7ee1ab4-fa.html |archive-date=2011-10-03 }}</ref> Though the suffix ''-vā'' might suggest a Persian origin,<ref name="Batmanglij, Najmieh 2007, page 156">Batmanglij, Najmieh, ''A Taste of Persia: An Introduction to Persian Cooking'', I.B.Tauris, 2007, {{ISBN|1-84511-437-X}}, 9781845114374; page 156.</ref><ref>Marks, Gil, ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Food'', John Wiley and Sons, 2010, {{ISBN|0-470-39130-8}}, {{ISBN|978-0-470-39130-3}}; page 38.</ref> the ''baqla-'' part does not appear to be [[Persian Language|Persian]] and remains of unknown origin.<ref>"a derivation from ''balg'', a common dialect form of ''barg'' "leaf", or from Ar. ''baql'' "herb" is unlikely", W. Eilers, ''Encyclopædia Iranica'', ''s.v.'' [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/baqlava-or-baqlava- 'bāqlavā'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228150904/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/baqlava-or-baqlava- |date=2011-12-28 }}</ref> The linguist Tuncer Gülensoy states that the origin of baklava is {{lang|tr|bakl-ı}} (feed) in proto-Turkish and suffixes {{lang|tr|-la-ğı}} are added. The word changes as {{lang|tr|bakılağı}} > {{lang|tr|bakılavı}} > {{lang|tr|baklava}}.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gülensoy|first=Tuncer|title=Türkiye Türkcesindeki Türkçe Sözcüklerin Köken Bilgisi Sözlüğü - I|publisher=Türk Dil Kurumu|year=2007|isbn=978-9751619709|location=Turkey|pages=106}}</ref>

The Arabic name {{lang|ar|بقلاوة}} ''{{lang|ar-Latn|baqlāwa}}'' originates from Turkish.<ref name="Lambraki, p. 248-249">Akın and Lambraki, ''Turkish and Greek Cuisine / {{lang|tr|Türk ve Yunan Mutfağı}}'' p. 248-249, {{ISBN|975-458-484-2}}</ref>

==History==
The three main proposals for the roots of baklava are the Greek [[placenta cake]],<ref name="faas">[{{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=YXGlAr17oekC }} Patrick Faas (2003). ''Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p.&nbsp;185f.]</ref> the Medieval Persian (Iranian) [[lauzinaj]],<ref name="marks">{{cite book |last=Marks |first=Gil|author-link=Gil Marks |date=2010 |title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food |url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC |page=151 }} |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] |page=151 |isbn=978-0470391303 }}</ref>{{Dubious|Semi-protected edit request on 19 February 2025|date=February 2025}} and the [[Central Asian cuisine|Central Asian]] Turkic tradition of layered breads.<ref name="perry">Perry, Charles. "The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava", in ''A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East'' (ed. [[Sami Zubaida]], [[Richard Tapper]]), 1994. {{ISBN|1-86064-603-4}}, page 87</ref> There are also claims attributing baklava to the [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], according to which baklava was prepared by them in the 8th century BC.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324107511|title=Past, present and tomorrow of baklava|first1=Ayşenur|last1=Akkaya|first2=Banu|last2=Koc|journal=International Rural Tourism and Development Journal|volume=1|issue=1|pages=47–50|year=2017|access-date=2021-05-01|archive-date=2022-04-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430004620/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324107511_Past_Present_and_Tomorrow_of_Baklava|url-status=live}}</ref> The inhabitants of the ancient [[Assyria|Assyrian empire]] would prepare the sweet by layering flatbreads with chopped nuts in between, but the earliest record of modern Baklava was recorded during the Ottoman Empire.<ref name="sticky" />

There are also some similarities between baklava and the [[Ancient Greek cuisine|Ancient Greek]] desserts {{lang|grc-Latn|gastris}} ({{lang|grc|γάστρις}}),<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dga%2Fstris γάστρις] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225070801/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dga%2Fstris |date=2021-02-25 }}, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek–English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> {{lang|grc-Latn|kopte sesamis}} ({{lang|grc|κοπτὴ σησαμίς}}), and {{lang|grc-Latn|kopton}} ({{lang|grc|κοπτόν}}) found in book XIV of the {{lang|el-Latn|[[Deipnosophistae]]}}.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dkopto%2Fs κοπτός] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224142408/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dkopto%2Fs |date=2021-02-24 }}, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek–English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref><ref>{{lang|el-Latn|[[Deipnosophists]]}} '''14''':647, discussed by Charles Perry, "The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava", in ''A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East'' (ed. [[Sami Zubaida]], [[Richard Tapper]]), 1994. {{ISBN|1-86064-603-4}}. p. 88.</ref> However, the recipe there is for a filling of nuts and honey, with a top and bottom layer of honey and ground [[sesame]] similar to modern {{lang|it|[[sesame candy|pasteli]]}} or {{lang|fa-Latn|[[halva]]}}, and no dough, certainly not a flaky dough.<ref>Charles Perry, "The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava", in ''A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East'' (ed. [[Sami Zubaida]], [[Richard Tapper]]), 1994. {{ISBN|1-86064-603-4}}.</ref>

Another recipe for a similar dessert is {{lang|tr|[[güllaç]]}}, a dessert found in [[Turkish cuisine]] and considered by some as the origin of baklava.<ref name=Husihui>{{cite book |title=A soup for the Qan: Chinese dietary medicine of the Mongol era as seen in Hu Szu-Hui's Yin-shan cheng-yao |year=2010 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=978-90-04-18020-8 |author=Husihui |edition=2nd rev. and expanded |author2=Paul D. Buell |author3=Eugene N. Anderson |author4=Charles Perry }}</ref> It consists of layers of [[filo]] dough that are put one by one in warmed up milk with sugar. It is served with walnut and fresh pomegranate and generally eaten during [[Ramadan]]. The first known documentation of {{lang|tr|güllaç}} is attested in a food and health manual, written in 1330 that documents [[Mongol Empire|Mongol]] foods called Yinshan Zhengyao ({{lang|zh|飮膳正要}}, ''Important Principles of Food and Drink''), written by [[Hu Sihui]], an ethnic Mongol court dietitian of the [[Yuan dynasty]].<ref name="Buell">Paul D. Buell, "Mongol Empire and Turkicization: The Evidence of Food and Foodways", p.&nbsp;200''ff'', in Amitai-Preiss, 1999.</ref>

Although the history of baklava is not well documented, its Turkish version was probably developed in the imperial kitchens of the [[Topkapı Palace]] in [[Ottoman Constantinople|Constantinople]]<!--This should be used in Ottoman contexts--> (modern [[Istanbul]]).<ref name="perry" /><ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Ayşenur Akkaya |author2=Banu Koc |year=2017 |title=Past, Present and Tomorrow of Baklava |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324107511 |url-status=live |journal=IRTAD Journal |issue=August |pages=47–50 |issn=2602-4462 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430004620/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324107511_Past_Present_and_Tomorrow_of_Baklava |archive-date=30 April 2022 |access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref> The Sultan presented trays of baklava to the [[Janissaries]] every 15th of the month of [[Ramadan]] in a ceremonial procession called the {{lang|ota-Latn|Baklava Alayı}}.<ref name="marks" /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Wasti |first=Syed Tanvir |year=2005 |title=The Ottoman Ceremony of the Royal Purse |journal=[[Middle Eastern Studies]] |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=193–200 |doi=10.1080/00263200500035116 |s2cid=143202946}}</ref><ref name="sticky">{{Cite web |last=Işın |first=Priscilla Mary |date=2023-09-16 |title=The Sticky History of Baklava |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-sticky-history-of-baklava-180982771/ |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref>

===Placenta cake theory===
Many claim that the [[placenta cake]], and therefore likely baklava, derived from a recipe from [[Ancient Greece]].<ref name="Mayer-1989">{{cite news |last=Mayer |first=Caroline E. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/food/1989/05/03/phyllo-facts/1ca7102a-fb19-4abe-af8d-2cb17f49b98b/?noredirect=on |title=Phyllo Facts |newspaper=Washington Post |year=1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229205837/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/food/1989/05/03/phyllo-facts/1ca7102a-fb19-4abe-af8d-2cb17f49b98b/?noredirect=on |archive-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> Homer's ''[[Odyssey]]'', written around 800 BC, mentions thin breads sweetened with walnuts and honey.<ref name="Mayer-1989"/> In the fifth century BC, [[Philoxenus of Cythera|Philoxenos]] states in his poem "Dinner" that, in the final drinking course of a meal, hosts would prepare and serve cheesecake made with milk and honey that was baked into a pie.<ref>Hoffman, Susanna. ''The Olive and the Caper''. Workman Publishing Company, Inc. {{ISBN|9781563058486}}</ref>

The word "placenta" originally comes from the Greek language {{lang|grc-Latn|plakous}} ({{lang|grc|πλακοῦς}}), which means something "flat and broad".<ref name="Salaman2">[{{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=jYa3J6xrjt4C |page=184 }} Rena Salaman, "Food in Motion the Migration of Foodstuffs and Cookery Techniques" from the Oxford Symposium on Food Cookery, Vol. 2, p. 184]</ref><ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dplacenta placenta] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307120657/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dplacenta|date=2021-03-07}}, Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, ''A Latin Dictionary'', on Perseus</ref> An early [[Greek language]] mention of ''plakous'' as a dessert (or second table delicacy) comes from the poems of [[Archestratos]]. He describes ''plakous'' as served with nuts or dried fruits and commends the honey-drenched Athenian version of ''plakous''.<ref name="Goldstein">{{harvnb|Goldstein|2015|loc="ancient world": "The next cake of note, first mentioned about 350 B.C.E. by two Greek poets, is ''plakous''. [...] At last, we have recipes and a context to go with the name. ''Plakous'' is listed as a delicacy for second tables, alongside dried fruits and nuts, by the gastronomic poet Archestratos. He praises the ''plakous'' made in Athens because it was soaked in Attic honey from the thyme-covered slopes of Mount Hymettos. His contemporary, the comic poet Antiphanes, tells us the other main ingredients, goat’s cheese and wheat flour. Two centuries later, in Italy, Cato gives an elaborate recipe for placenta (the same name transcribed into Latin), redolent of honey and cheese. The modern Romanian ''plăcintă'' and the Viennese ''Palatschinke'', though now quite different from their ancient Greek and Roman ancestor, still bear the same name."}}</ref> [[Antiphanes (comic poet)|Antiphanes]], a contemporary of [[Archestratus|Archestratos]], provided an ornate description of ''plakous'':<ref name="Goldstein" /><ref>{{harvnb|Dalby|1998|loc=p. 155: "Placenta is a Greek word (plakounta, accusative form of plakous 'cake').}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=The streams of the tawny bee, mixed with the curdled river of bleating she-goats, placed upon a flat receptacle of the virgin daughter of Demeter [honey, cheese, flour], delighting in ten thousand delicate toppings – or shall I simply say plakous? 
I'm for plakous.|author=[[Antiphanes (comic poet)|Antiphanes]] quoted by [[Athenaeus]]|source=3rd century<ref name="Dalby155">{{cite book |last= Dalby |first= Andrew |title=Cato on farming-De Agricultura-A modern translation with commentary |year=1998 | page = 155}}</ref>|title=''[[The Deipnosophists]]''|multiline=true}}

In the [[Byzantine Empire]], the traditional [[placenta cake]] (known as "koptoplakous", {{Lang|grc|κοπτοπλακοῦς}}), a dish similar to baklava, was consumed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ash |first=John |url=https://archive.org/details/byzantinejourney00ashj |title=A Byzantine Journey |date=1995 |publisher=Random House Incorporated |isbn=978-1-84511-307-0 |location=New York |page=223 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Faas |first=Patrick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YXGlAr17oekC |title=Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome |date=2005 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-23347-5 |location=Chicago, IL |page=184 |access-date=14 September 2023 |orig-date=1994 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730151401/https://books.google.com/books?id=YXGlAr17oekC |archive-date=30 July 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Vryonis|1971|p=482}} The earliest known detailed recipe for placenta, from the 2nd century BC, is a honey-covered baked layered-dough dessert which [[food historian]] Patrick Faas identifies as the origin of baklava.<ref name="faas" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cato/De_Agricultura/E*.html |title=LacusCurtius • Cato On Agriculture — Sections 74‑90 |website=Penelope.uchicago.edu |access-date=2017-01-28 |archive-date=2021-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713102652/https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cato/De_Agricultura/E%2A.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Historian [[Andrew Dalby]] speculates as to why Cato's section on bread and cakes, which he describes as "recipes in a Greek tradition", are included in {{lang|la|[[De Agricultura]]}}: "Possibly Cato included them so that the owner and guests might be entertained when visiting the farm; possibly so that proper offerings might be made to the gods; more likely, I believe, so that profitable sales might be made at a neighbouring market."<ref name="Dalby21">{{harvnb|Dalby|1998|p=21}}</ref>

Cato's original recipe for placenta follows:

{{blockquote|Shape the placenta as follows: place a single row of {{lang|grc-Latn|[[Tracta (dough)|tracta]]}} along the whole length of the base dough. This is then covered with the mixture [cheese and honey] from the mortar. Place another row of {{lang|grc-Latn|tracta}} on top and go on doing so until all the cheese and honey have been used up. Finish with a layer of {{lang|grc-Latn|tracta}}. ... place the placenta in the oven and put a preheated lid on top of it ... When ready, honey is poured over the placenta.|author=Cato the Elder|source=''[[De Agri Cultura]]'' 160&nbsp;BC<ref name="faas"/>}}

According to a number of scholars, {{lang|grc-Latn|koptoplakous}} ({{lang|grc|κοπτοπλακοῦς}}) was a precursor to the modern baklava.<ref name="faas" /><ref>{{harvnb|Salaman|1986|p=184}}; {{harvnb|Vryonis|1971|p=482}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ash |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQCKEk1GXlYC&pg=PA223 |title=A Byzantine Journey |date=2006 |publisher=Tauris Parke Paperbacks |isbn=978-1-84511-307-0 |language=en}}</ref> Historian [[Speros Vryonis]] describes ''koptoplakous'' as a "Byzantine favorite" and "the same as the Turkish baklava",<ref name="Speros Vryonis 1971, p. 482">Speros Vryonis ''The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor'', 1971, p. 482</ref> as do other writers.<ref name="Salaman2"/> The name ({{langx|el|πλατσέντα}}) is used today on the island of [[Lesbos]] for thin layered pastry leaves with crushed nuts, baked, and covered in syrup.<ref>{{cite web |last=Τριανταφύλλη |first=Κική |date=17 October 2015 |title=Πλατσέντα, από την Αγία Παρασκευή Λέσβου |url=http://www.bostanistas.gr/?i=bostanistas.el.article&id=3528 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012043857/http://www.bostanistas.gr/?i=bostanistas.el.article&id=3528 |archive-date=12 October 2016 |access-date=7 February 2020 |website=bostanistas.gr}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Γιαννέτσου |first=Βασιλεία Λούβαρη |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5U0iAwAAQBAJ |title=Τα Σαρακοστιανά: 50 συνταγές για τη Σαρακοστή και τις γιορτές της από τη MAMAVASSO |publisher=Georges Yannetsos |year=2014 |page=161 |quote="Η πλατσέντα είναι σαν τον πλακούντα των αρχαίων Ελλήνων, με ξηρούς καρπούς και μέλι."}}</ref>

===Lauzinaj===
{{main|Lauzinaj}}

Baklava is a common dessert in modern Arab cuisines, but the [[Arabic literature#Culinary|Arabic language cookbook]] {{lang|ar-Latn|Kitab al-Tabikh}}, compiled by [[Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq]] in the 10th-century, does not contain any recipe for baklava.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200604/cooking.with.the.caliphs.htm |title=Saudi Aramco World : Cooking with the Caliphs |website=Archive.aramcoworld.com |access-date=2017-01-28 |archive-date=2016-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218235811/http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200604/cooking.with.the.caliphs.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Its recipe for [[lauzinaj]] refers to small pieces of [[almond paste]] wrapped in very thin pastry ("as thin as grasshoppers' wings") and drenched in syrup.<ref name="Perry2">Perry, Charles. "What to Order in Ninth Century Baghdad," in Rodinson, Maxime, and Arthur John Arberry. "Medieval Arab Cookery." (2001). p. 223</ref> Some writers say this is dessert that most closely resembles the modern baklava.<ref>{{cite book |last3=Elias |first3=Leila Salloum |last2=Salloum |first2=Muna |last1=Salloum |first1=Habeeb |title=Sweet Delights from A Thousand and One Nights: the Story of Tradition Arab Sweets |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury |pages=45–48}}</ref> [[Charles Perry (food writer)|Charles Perry]], however, has written that "it was not much like baklava".<ref name="Perry">Perry, Charles. "What to Order in Ninth Century Baghdad," in Rodinson, Maxime, and Arthur John Arberry. "Medieval Arab Cookery." (2001). p. 222 "As for lauzinaj, it was not much like baklava."</ref>

There are similar recipes for {{lang|fa-Latn|lauzinaj}} in the 13th-century {{lang|ar-Latn|Kitab al-Tabikh}} by [[Muhammad bin Hasan al-Baghdadi]]. Written in 1226 in today's [[Iraq]], the cookbook was based on an earlier collection of 9th century [[Persian cuisine|Persian]]-inspired recipes.<ref name="marks"/> According to [[Gil Marks]], Middle Eastern pastry makers later developed the process of layering the ingredients.<ref name=marks/>

==Preparation==
[[File:Kadayıf Taksim (4).JPG|thumb|Large [[Sheet pan|baking sheets]] are used for preparing baklava.]]
[[File:Baklava - Turkish special, 80-ply.JPEG|thumb|Baklava cut in a lozenge shape]]

Baklava is normally prepared in large pans. Many layers of [[filo]] dough,<ref>{{Google books |plainurl= |id=DOJMAgAAQBAJ |page=111 |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America }}</ref> separated with melted butter and vegetable oil, are laid in the pan. A layer of chopped nuts—typically [[walnut]]s or [[pistachio]]s, but [[hazelnut]]s and [[almond]]s are also sometimes used—is placed on top, then more layers of filo. Most recipes have multiple layers of filo and nuts, though some have only top and bottom pastry.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

Before baking, the dough is cut into regular pieces, often parallelograms (lozenge-shaped), triangles, diamonds or rectangles. After baking, a [[syrup]], which may include [[honey]], [[rosewater]], or [[orange flower water]], is poured over the cooked baklava and allowed to soak.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

Baklava is usually served at room temperature, and is often garnished with nuts that have been ground up.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

==Regional variations==

===Algeria===
[[File:Algerian Baklawa.jpg|thumb|Algerian ''baklawa'' served during [[Eid al-Fitr|Eid]]]]

[[Algerian baklawa|Baklava in Algeria]] is called ''Baklawa'' ([[Arabic]]: بقلاوة, [[Tifinagh]]: ⴱⴰⴽⵍⴰⴹⴰ). In most Algerian regions, Baklava is the centerpiece of any sweets table. This type of Baklava originates in the Algerian city of [[Constantine, Algeria|Constantine]]. The Algerian Baklava is distinct in that [[Filo|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 [[almond]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wagda |first=Marin |date=2004 |title=Bricks en vrac à l'est d'Ithaque |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/homig_1142-852x_2004_num_1251_1_4253 |journal=Hommes & Migrations |volume=1251 |issue=1 |pages=136–139 |doi=10.3406/homig.2004.4253}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bakhaï |first=Fatima |date=1996 |title=Dounia |url=https://www.torrossa.com/en/resources/an/5093106?digital=true |journal=Dounia |language=en |pages=1–302}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bouayed|first=Fatima-Zohra|date=1970|title=La cuisine algérienne|url=https://www.abebooks.com/cuisine-alg%C3%A9rienne-Bouayed-Fatima-Zohra-Temps-Actuels/31073983930/bd|access-date=2022-01-31|website=www.abebooks.com|language=french|archive-date=2022-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130072632/https://www.abebooks.com/cuisine-alg%C3%A9rienne-Bouayed-Fatima-Zohra-Temps-Actuels/31073983930/bd|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Petrick |first=G. M. |date=2003 |title=Food, Drink and Identity: Cooking, Eating and Drinking in Europe Since the Middle Ages. Edited by Peter Scholliers (New York: Berg, 2001. xi plus 223pp. $65.00/cloth $19.50/paper) |url=https://www.academia.edu/224003 |journal=Journal of Social History |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=515–517 |doi=10.1353/jsh.2003.0189 |issn=0022-4529 |s2cid=142890270}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bertrand |first=Georges |date=2009-07-01 |title=Turquie, France : le voyage des mots |url=https://journals.openedition.org/hommesmigrations/313 |journal=Hommes & migrations. Revue française de référence sur les dynamiques migratoires |language=fr |issue=1280 |pages=100–104 |doi=10.4000/hommesmigrations.313 |issn=1142-852X|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Scholliers |first=Peter |date=2001 |title=Food, Drink and Identity. Cooking, Eating and Drinking in Europe since the Middle Ages |url=https://www.academia.edu/224003 |journal=Academia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wagda |first=Marin |date=2003 |title=Bricks, boureks et briouates |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/homig_1142-852x_2003_num_1245_1_4076 |journal=Hommes & Migrations |volume=1245 |issue=1 |pages=125–127 |doi=10.3406/homig.2003.4076}}</ref>

===Syria===
[[File:مدلهای انواع باقلوا ( 7 ).jpg|thumb|Syrian baklawa]]

In [[Syrian cuisine]], baklava ([[Arabic]]: البقلاوة, [[Syriac language|Syriac]]: ܒܩܠܘܐ) is a dessert mostly served on special occasions like [[Eid al-Fitr]], or [[Observance of Christmas by country|Syrian Christmas]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=John A. Shoup |title=Culture and Customs of Syria |publisher= Bloomsbury Academic|year=2008 |isbn=978-0313344565}}</ref> It is made of 24 layers of buttered phyllo dough, a filling of either chopped pistachios or chopped walnuts (walnuts are preferred) and a syrup consisting of sugar, [[orange blossom water]], and lemon juice.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Imad Alarnab |title=Syrian Kitchen |date=6 July 2023 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Limited |isbn=978-0008532376}}</ref> Syrian baklava comes in many shapes, but the diamond shape is the most common one.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bodic |first=Slavka |title=The Ultimate Syrian Cookbook: A Journey Through Syrian Cuisine With 111 Traditional Recipes |date=11 September 2020 |publisher=Independently Published |isbn=9798685380357}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brunner |first=Esther |date=2 January 2009 |title=Sweet journey of Güllüoğlu baklava |url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/sweet-journey-of-gulluoglu-baklava-10682696 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110080253/http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/sweet-journey-of-gulluoglu-baklava-10682696 |archive-date=2018-11-10 |access-date=2018-11-09}}</ref>

===Armenia===
[[File:Armenian baklava, Togh, Artsakh - Հայկական փախլավա, Տող, Արցախ.jpg|thumb|Armenian pakhlava]]

Armenian baklava, known in Armenian as ''pakhlava'' ({{langx|hy|Փախլավա}}) is made of layers of [[Filo|phyllo dough]], a filling of cinnamon-spiced chopped walnuts, and a syrup made from [[clove]]s, cinnamon, lemon juice, sugar and water.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Armenian Cookbook |year=2014 |isbn=978-1497387065 |last1=Hogrogian |first1=Rachel |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Armenian Pakhlava |url=https://www.floatingkitchen.net/p-is-for-paklava/ |website=Floating Kitchen|date=20 December 2019 }}</ref> It is diamond-shaped and often has either one [[hazelnut]], almond, or half a walnut placed on each piece.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Пахлава армянская |url=https://en.edunclub.ru/recipe/145546-baklava-armenian/}}</ref> It is often served at special occasions like [[Christmas in Armenia|Armenian Christmas]] or [[Easter|Armenian Easter]].<ref>''The flower of paradise and other Armenian tales'' by Bonnie C. Marshall, Virginia A. Tashjian, Libraries Unlimited, 2007, p. 179, {{ISBN|1-59158-367-5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Language of Baklava |isbn=978-1400077762 |last1=Abu-Jaber |first1=Diana |date=14 March 2006 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Recipe Corner: Chocolate Walnut-Raisin Baklava with California Raisins |url=https://mirrorspectator.com/2023/01/05/recipe-corner-chocolate-walnut-raisin-baklava-with-california-raisins/ |website=Mirror-Spectator|date=5 January 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Paklava – Traditional Style |url=https://thearmeniankitchen.com/paklava-traditional-style/ |website=The Armenian Kitchen|date=12 April 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Petrosian |first1=I. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0oXYX9Qzx9oC&pg=PA47 |title=Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore |last2=Underwood |first2=D. |publisher=Yerkir Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-4116-9865-9 |series=Armenian Research Center collection |page=47 |access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Theodore Kyriakou and Charles Campion 2004">{{Cite book |last=Theodore Kyriakou and Charles Campion |title=The Real Greek at Home |year=2004 |publisher=Octopus Books |isbn=978-1845334512}}</ref>

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 [[Edible flower|flowers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gavar Baklava: The Queen of Local Pastries, Antidote for Holiday Drinking |date=29 December 2017 |url=https://hetq.am/en/article/84697}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Baklava Gavar |date=9 July 2023 |url=https://www.jidlonacestach.cz/en/baklava-gavar/}}</ref> 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.<ref name="george">{{cite book |last=Bournoutian |first=George |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cb9aDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT48 |title=Armenia and Imperial Decline: The Yerevan Province, 1900-1914 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2018 |isbn=9781351062602 |series=Routledge Advances in Armenian Studies |location=New York |page=48 |author-link=George Bournoutian}}</ref>

===Azerbaijan===
[[File:Пахлава DSC3172.jpg|thumb|Azerbaijani paxlava]]

Azerbaijani baklava ({{langx|az|Azərbaycan paxlavası}}) is made mostly for special occasions (like [[Nowruz]]).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nazarli|first1=Amina|title=Azerbaijanis welcome beloved Novruz holiday|url=https://www.azernews.az/nation/79255.html|access-date=23 April 2018|agency=AzerNews|publisher=AzerNews|date=19 April 2018|archive-date=24 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424072602/https://www.azernews.az/nation/79255.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AzerNews">{{cite news|last1=Ismayilova|first1=Laman|title=Delicious sweets for Novruz holiday|url=https://www.azernews.az/nation/128011.html|access-date=23 April 2018|agency=AzerNews|publisher=AzerNews|date=20 March 2018|archive-date=22 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422181105/https://www.azernews.az/nation/128011.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Caspian News">{{cite news|last1=Gadimova|first1=Nazrin|title=Celebrating Novruz? Try These 3 Pastries!|url=https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/celebrating-novruz-try-these-3-pastries-2018-2-21-40/|access-date=23 April 2018|agency=Caspian News|publisher=Caspian News|date=27 February 2018|archive-date=24 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424072113/https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/celebrating-novruz-try-these-3-pastries-2018-2-21-40/|url-status=live}}</ref> Pastry, [[cardamom]], and [[saffron]] are used for the preparation. Nuts (mostly [[hazelnut]]s, almonds or walnuts) and sugar are used as the filling, and syrup is used as a sweetener.<ref>{{Cite news| title=Азербайджанская пахлава| url=http://www.povarenok.ru/recipes/show/22359/| date=2009-03-24| access-date=2020-01-25| archive-date=2020-01-25| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125195639/https://www.povarenok.ru/recipes/show/22359/| url-status=live}}</ref> Ethnic groups native to different regions (like [[Lezgins]] and [[Tat people (Caucasus)|Tat people]]) have contributed to some regional variations.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The World Cookbook: The Greatest Recipes from Around the Globe|last=Jeanne Jacob, Michael Ashkenazi|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2014|isbn=9781610694698|pages=82–83}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Azerbaijan - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture|last=Nikki Kazimova|publisher=Kuperard|year=2011|isbn=9781857335484}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Ethnic Minorities in Azerbaijan |date= 21 April 2010|isbn=9786130609948|last1= Miller|first1= Frederic P.|last2= Vandome|first2= Agnes F.|last3= John|first3= Mcbrewster|publisher= VDM}}</ref>

*'''Tenbel pakhlava''' is filled with almonds or walnuts and consists of 8-10 layers. Its top layer is coated with [[yolk]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Easy Baklava |url=https://azcookbook.com/2008/03/18/easy-baklava/ |website=AZ Cookbook|date=18 March 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tenbel Baklava |date=20 May 2016 |url=https://www.196flavors.com/azerbaijan-tenbel-pakhlava/}}</ref> Half a [[walnut]] is placed on each diamond-shaped piece.<ref name="Ahmedov-1986">{{Cite book|title=Azərbaycan kulinariyası, Азербайджанская кулинария, Azerbaijan Cookery - cookbook, in Azeri, Russian & English|last=Ahmedov|first=Ahmed-Jabir|publisher=Ishig|year=1986|location=Baku}}</ref>
*'''Ganja pakhlava''' has a filling of almond, sugar and cardamom. 18 layers of dough are used.<ref name="Ahmedov-1986" /> [[Gulkand|Rose petals]] are added to the dough.<ref name="Azerbaijan State News Agency">{{Cite news|url=https://azertag.az/en/xeber/A_tasty_journey_through_Azerbaijan_Sheki_and_Ganja_cuisine-1198357|title=A tasty journey through Azerbaijan: Sheki and Ganja cuisine|work=Azerbaijan State News Agency|access-date=2018-11-07|language=en|archive-date=2019-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022020630/https://azertag.az/en/xeber/A_tasty_journey_through_Azerbaijan_Sheki_and_Ganja_cuisine-1198357|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ganja.az/az/mədəniyyət/milli-mətbəx/gəncə-paxlavası|title=Gəncə paxlavası|website=Website of Ganja city of Azerbaijan|language=az|access-date=2019-02-27|archive-date=2018-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916213305/http://www.ganja.az/az/m%C9%99d%C9%99niyy%C9%99t/milli-m%C9%99tb%C9%99x/g%C9%99nc%C9%99-paxlavas%C4%B1|url-status=live}}</ref>
*'''Guba pakhlava''' has a top layer that is coated with [[saffron]]. It uses 50 rishta layers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://report.az/multimedia/quba-paxlavasi-bele-hazirlanir-fotoreportaj/|title=Preparation of Guba pakhlava|website=Report Information Agency|language=az|access-date=2019-02-27|archive-date=2019-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227182149/https://report.az/multimedia/quba-paxlavasi-bele-hazirlanir-fotoreportaj/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://azertag.az/xeber/CHay_sufrelerinin_bezeyi___Quba_paxlavasi-937350|title=Guba pakhlava|website=Azerbaijan State News Agency|language=az|access-date=2019-02-27|archive-date=2019-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227182220/https://azertag.az/xeber/CHay_sufrelerinin_bezeyi___Quba_paxlavasi-937350|url-status=live}}</ref>
*'''Sheki pakhlava''', or [[Sheki Halva|Sheki halva]], is made from rishta (dough made from [[rice flour]]), filling (hazelnut, [[cardamom]]) and syrup.<ref name="Ahmedov-1986" /><ref name="Azerbaijan State News Agency" />

===Balkans===
[[File:Bakllava, ëmbëlsirë..jpg|thumb|A tray of Albanian ''bakllava'' in [[Kosovo]]]]

[[Albanians]] usually prepare the ''bakllava'' for certain religious holidays of Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox, and they popularly prepare it for the winter holiday season and the [[New Year]].{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

In [[Bosnia and Herzegovina cuisine|Bosnian cuisine]], ''Ružice'' is the name of the regional variant of baklava.<ref>{{cite web |last=Manning |first=Anneka |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2016/08/22/bakeproof-bosnian-baking |title=Bakeproof: Bosnian baking : SBS Food |website=Sbs.com.au |date=22 August 2016 |access-date=2017-01-28 |archive-date=2016-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107234711/http://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2016/08/22/bakeproof-bosnian-baking |url-status=live }}</ref>

Baklava also exists in [[Romanian cuisine]], being known as {{lang|ro|baclava}} in Romanian. It is one of the most preferred desserts among Romanians together with the ''[[Kanafeh]]'' ({{lang|ro|cataif}}) and the {{lang|ro|sarailia}}. In [[Romania]], some [[Turks of Romania|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.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/64667189/ITEMA_2019-DRAFT-Conference-Proceedings.pdf?1602583602=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DFerrari_S_Iaffaldano_N_and_Santamato_V_R.pdf&Expires=1619884310&Signature=PnJylhYa07v3YzWFQ7g5IGPNDknRr9wHYR-1fMnOg7w2Ojc562uRxkjXKpYug8DJQhsA3gYGioTRxunLLmTDnahZs-yCMJu1eYz6xmmpal14VJq6VLPqoRhy6ZP6P7KKR~ai0jGW-hV74P7SUDCTuaieNAI6bjw55fQqWVCf5UjAhFVy0xBQiS2kNV1edy9Yn5jD9mmXQPiq5xqHNXaQgXClgJXgWsA79N1IuJuiqERi9CrzsXTYhnNMXGeGHBRASSbW1RvuBXb9Cud-Mt79j~gUrdYMKZX6VBR~xp5bBDDt2AVGpodYOqzzjZBfftnWDqUUlsDEu7v5Iyo4xhRSoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA#page=43|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501150223/https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/64667189/ITEMA_2019-DRAFT-Conference-Proceedings.pdf?1602583602=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DFerrari_S_Iaffaldano_N_and_Santamato_V_R.pdf&Expires=1619884310&Signature=PnJylhYa07v3YzWFQ7g5IGPNDknRr9wHYR-1fMnOg7w2Ojc562uRxkjXKpYug8DJQhsA3gYGioTRxunLLmTDnahZs-yCMJu1eYz6xmmpal14VJq6VLPqoRhy6ZP6P7KKR~ai0jGW-hV74P7SUDCTuaieNAI6bjw55fQqWVCf5UjAhFVy0xBQiS2kNV1edy9Yn5jD9mmXQPiq5xqHNXaQgXClgJXgWsA79N1IuJuiqERi9CrzsXTYhnNMXGeGHBRASSbW1RvuBXb9Cud-Mt79j~gUrdYMKZX6VBR~xp5bBDDt2AVGpodYOqzzjZBfftnWDqUUlsDEu7v5Iyo4xhRSoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA#page=43|url-status=dead|archive-date=2021-05-01|first1=Adina|last1=Săcara-Onița|first2=Andra-Teodora|last2=Porumb|first3=Ciprian Beniamin|last3=Benea| title=3rd International Scientific Conference ITEMA Recent Advances in Information Technology Tourism Economics Management and Agriculture | chapter=The Evolution of the Romanian Pastry. Traditions, European Influences, New Trends |publisher=Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans|pages=35–44 |year=2019|doi=10.31410/ITEMA.2019.35|isbn = 9788680194233|doi-access=free}}</ref> In Bulgaria, baklava is very popular during the winter holiday season, when people have it for dessert after dinner.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

=== Greece ===
[[File:Baklava kymi greece.jpg|thumb|Greek baklava with walnuts]]

In [[Greek cuisine]], [[walnut]]s are more common than pistachios, and the dessert is flavored with [[cinnamon]]. Greek baklava ({{Langx|el|Μπακλαβάς}}) 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 [[Northern Greece|north]] with walnuts. Some recipes use hazelnuts, sesame or raisins.<ref>{{Cite book |title=More Than Baklava |isbn=9780960666812|last1= Semos|first1= Evelyn|date= 1982|publisher= Neiman Marcus}}</ref> The syrup is made of sugar, honey, water, cinnamon and orange or lemon [[Zest (ingredient)|zest]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Alexiadou |first=Vefa |title=Greece: The Cookbook |date=20 March 2017 |publisher=Phaidon Press |isbn=978-0714873800}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Traditional Greek Baklava Recipe |date=15 May 2021 |url=https://thegreekdeli.com/traditional-greek-baklava-recipe/ }}</ref> Greek baklava is supposed to be made with 33 [[Filo|filo dough]] layers, referring to the years of [[Jesus]]'s life.<ref name="Theodore Kyriakou and Charles Campion 2004"/>

On the island of [[Lesbos]] in Greece a type of baklava is still known as [[Placenta cake|placenta]] ({{langx|el|πλατσέντα}}), which is the name of an Ancient Greek pastry that is often seen as the predecessor of baklava. The latter is a baked dessert with very thinly made pastry layers and chopped nuts. The base for this modern {{lang|la|placenta}} is made with leaves of [[Filo|filo dough]], and nuts stacked upon each other. After baking, it is soaked in a simple syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon.<ref>{{cite web |author=Αποστολή με |title=Πλατσέντα, από την Αγία Παρασκευή Λέσβου &#124; Άρθρα &#124; Bostanistas.gr : Ιστορίες για να τρεφόμαστε διαφορετικά |url=http://www.bostanistas.gr/?i=bostanistas.el.article&id=3528 |access-date=2017-01-28 |website=Bostanistas.gr}}</ref><ref name="cookbook">{{cite book |last=Λούβαρη-Γιαννέτσου |first=Βασιλεία |title=Τα Σαρακοστιανά 50 συνταγές για τη Σαρακοστή και τις γιορτές |year=2014 |trans-title=Lent foods: 50 recipes for Lent and the holidays |chapter=Πλατσέντα ή γλυκόπιτα |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5U0iAwAAQBAJ&q=%CF%80%CE%BB%CE%B1%CF%84%CF%83%CE%AD%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B1&pg=PT161}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cuisine of Lesvos |work=VisitGreece |url=https://www.visitgreece.gr/experiences/gastronomy/traditional-cuisine/cuisine-of-lesvos/}}</ref>

===Iran===
[[File:Yazdi Baqleva, with pistachio topping (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Photo of baklava on wooden dish, garnished with pistachios|[[Yazd]]i baklava]]

Iranian baklava ({{Langx|fa|باقلوا}}) is less crisp and uses less syrup than other baklava variations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Baghlava – Persian Baklava |url=https://thecaspianchef.com/2018/11/24/persian-baklava-baghlava/ |website=The Caspian Chef|date=24 November 2018 }}</ref> The cities of [[Yazd]], [[Tabriz]], [[Qazvin]], [[Kashan]] and the [[Gilan province]] are famous for their baklava variations, which are widely distributed in [[Iran]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Baklava in Iran |url=https://iranhikers.com/iranian-cuisine/snacks/baklava}}</ref><ref>N. Ramazani, "''Bāqlavā''", ''[[Encyclopaedia Iranica]]'', Volume 3, Issues 5–8, page 729.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Most Heavenly Baklava Kadayif |url=https://rozinaspersiankitchen.wordpress.com/2019/07/27/baklava-kadayif/ |website=Rozinas Persian Kitchen|date=27 July 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Batmanglij |first=Najmieh |title=Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets |date=2020 |publisher=Mage Publishers |isbn=978-1949445077}}</ref> 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.<ref>Food and Booze: A Tin House Literary Feast, Michelle Wildgen, Nicole J. Georges, Tin House Books, 2007, {{ISBN|0-9773127-7-1}}, {{ISBN|978-0-9773127-7-1}}; page 200.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Baklava Recipe (Persian Style) |date=30 March 2023 |url=https://www.thedeliciouscrescent.com/baklava/}}</ref> Iranian baklava may be cut into diamonds or squares.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Porter |first=Jamaal |title=Persian Sweets |date=5 December 2022 |publisher=Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp |isbn=979-8367005806}}</ref> When it is finished it is often garnished with chopped pistachios, [[Gulkand|rose petals]], jasmine or [[Coconut|coconut powder]] depending on the region.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rylee |first=Bryan |title=Persian Dessert Recipes |date=31 March 2020 |publisher=Draft2Digital |isbn=978-1393153382}}</ref>

===Turkey===
[[File:Baklava from Turkey.jpg|thumb|Gaziantep baklava]]

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wittistanbul.com/magazine/what-is-baklava-and-where-to-find-the-best-baklava-in-istanbul |title=What is baklava—and where to find the best baklava in Istanbul? |work=Witt magazine |access-date=2013-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004231854/http://www.wittistanbul.com/magazine/what-is-baklava-and-where-to-find-the-best-baklava-in-istanbul/ |archive-date=2013-10-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Hazelnut]]s are also used as a filling for the [[List of Turkish desserts|Turkish dessert]] ''[[Sütlü Nuriye]]'', a lighter version of the dessert which substitutes [[milk]] for the [[simple syrup]] used in traditional baklava recipes.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Ihtilal Tatlısı Sütlü Nuriye'nin Trajikomik Hikayesi| work = Milliyet Haber| date = 30 June 2014| access-date = 2018-11-09| url = http://www.milliyet.com.tr/ihtilal-tatlisi-sutlu-nuriye-nin-trajikomik-istanbul-yerelhaber-270887/| archive-date = 2016-11-26| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161126195306/http://www.milliyet.com.tr/ihtilal-tatlisi-sutlu-nuriye-nin-trajikomik-istanbul-yerelhaber-270887/| url-status = live}}</ref>

''[[Şöbiyet]]'' is a variation that includes [[kaymak]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kaymaklı Şöbiyet Tarifi |url=https://www.kisikates.com.tr/tarif/kaymakli-sobiyet-tarifi-1743 }}</ref> as the filling, in addition to the traditional nuts.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Şöbiyet| work = Arda'nın Mutfağı| date = 9 January 2016| access-date = 2018-11-09| url = http://www.ardaninmutfagi.com/yemek-tarifleri/tatlilar/sobiyet| archive-date = 2018-11-10| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181110040607/http://www.ardaninmutfagi.com/yemek-tarifleri/tatlilar/sobiyet| url-status = live}}</ref> The city of [[Gaziantep]] in south-central Turkey is famous for its baklava made from locally grown pistachios,<ref>{{cite web |title=Capital of baklava |website=Aramco world |url=https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/201503/capital.of.baklava.htm |access-date=2020-12-19 |archive-date=2021-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202235118/https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/201503/capital.of.baklava.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite web| last = Brunner| first = Esther| title = Sweet journey of Güllüoğlu baklava| date = 2 January 2009| access-date = 2018-11-09| url = http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/sweet-journey-of-gulluoglu-baklava-10682696| archive-date = 2018-11-10| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181110080253/http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/sweet-journey-of-gulluoglu-baklava-10682696| url-status = live}}</ref> In 2008, the Turkish patent office registered a [[geographical indication]] for Antep Baklava,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bsanna-news.ukrinform.ua/newsitem.php?id=3731&lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004081345/http://bsanna-news.ukrinform.ua/newsitem.php?id=3731&lang=en |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-10-04 |title=Bsanna News, February 21, 2008 |publisher=Bsanna-news.ukrinform.ua |date=2008-02-21 |access-date=2012-04-22 }}</ref> and in 2013, {{lang|tr|Antep Baklavası}} or {{lang|tr|Gaziantep Baklavası}} was registered as a [[Protected Geographical Indication]] by the [[European Commission]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2013:229:0043:0046:EN:PDF |title=Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs |publisher=[[European Commission]] |date=2009-10-07 |access-date=2013-12-20 |archive-date=2013-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220181920/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2013:229:0043:0046:EN:PDF |url-status=live }}</ref> Gaziantep baklava is the first Turkish product to receive a protected designation from the European Commission.<ref>{{cite web |title=Greek writers praise world-famous Turkish baklava |work=Daily News |date=October 2019 |url=https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/greek-writers-praise-world-famous-turkish-baklava-147021 |access-date=2020-12-19 |archive-date=2021-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131104435/https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/greek-writers-praise-world-famous-turkish-baklava-147021 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Uzbek and Tatar===
[[Uzbek cuisine]] has {{lang|uz-Latn|pakhlava}}, {{lang|uz-Latn|puskal}} or {{lang|uz-Latn|yupka}} or in [[Tatar people|Tatar]] {{lang|tt|yoka}}, which are sweet and salty savories ({{lang|tr|[[börek]]ler}}) prepared with 10–12 layers of dough.<ref name="Lambraki, p. 248-249" /> In [[Crimean Tatar cuisine]], the ''{{lang|tt|pakhlava}}'' is their variant of baklava.<ref>{{cite web |author=Olga Kovalenko |date=2015-11-24 |title=A taste of Crimea far from the frontline |url=http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2015/a-taste-of-crimea-far-from-the-frontline/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208193922/http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2015/a-taste-of-crimea-far-from-the-frontline/ |archive-date=2015-12-08 |access-date=2015-12-05 |work=Roads and Kingdoms}}</ref>

===Other===
There are many variants of Baklava in [[Maghrebi cuisine]] that are eaten to this day.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture|page=248|publisher=[[ABC-Clio]] [[Bloomsbury Publishing]]|date=2014-07-29|access-date=2015-01-17|chapter=North Africa—The Maghreb Region|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hhXHEAAAQBAJ&q=The+Arabs+and+Turks+brought+with+them+the+Persian+inspired+method+of+filling+thin+sheets+of+dough+to+make+sweet+pastries+like+baklava|via=[[Google Books]]|last1=Roufs|first1=Timothy G.|last2=Smyth Roufs|first2=Kathleen|isbn=978-1-61-069221-2 |oclc=890981785|quote=search Maghreb baklava }}</ref> Owing to its ancient origins, [[Assyrian people]] today continue to enjoy baklava and eat it as part of their larger cuisine.<ref>{{Cite web |url= |title=Bela's Baklava: A Taste of Home for the Assyrian Diaspora |last=Hoge |first=Annabella |date=18 December 2023 |website=folklife.si.edu |publisher=Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Azərbaycan paxlavası.jpg|[[Azerbaijan]]i pakhlava
File:Gəncə paxlavası.JPG|[[Ganja, Azerbaijan|Ganja]] pakhlava
File:Quba paxlavası.jpg|[[Quba]] pakhlava
File:Kadayıf Taksim (2).JPG|Several types of Baklava
File:Armenian baklava, Togh, Artsakh - Հայկական փախլավա, Տող, Արցախ.jpg|[[Armenia]]n baklava
File:Baklava ST 06.JPG|A tray of baklava in the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City]], Jerusalem
File:PatisseriesTunisiennes2005.jpg|A tray of [[Tunisia]]n pastries including baklava
</gallery>

==See also==
{{portalbar|Food|Middle East|Turkey|Greece|Egypt}}
* [[Mille-feuille]]
* {{lang|de|[[Strudel]]}}
* {{lang|it|[[Sfogliatelle]]}}
* [[List of desserts]]
* [[List of foods with religious symbolism]]
* [[List of pastries]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== References ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |editor-link1=Reuven Amitai-Preiss |editor-last1=Amitai-Preiss |editor-first1=Reuven |editor-first2=David O. |editor-last2=Morgan |title=The Mongol Empire and Its Legacy |publisher=Brill |year=1999 |isbn=90-04-11946-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Buell |first=Paul D. |chapter=Mongol Empire and Turkicization: The Evidence of Food and Foodways |editor-last1=Amitai-Preiss |editor-first1=Reuven |editor-first2=David O. |editor-last2=Morgan |title=The Mongol Empire and Its Legacy |publisher=Brill |year=1999 |isbn=90-04-11946-9}}
* {{cite journal |last=Christian |first=David |title=Review of Amitai-Preiss, 1999 |journal=[[Journal of World History]] |volume=12 |issue=2 |page=476 |year=2001|doi=10.1353/jwh.2001.0055 |s2cid=161517912 }}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Goldstein|editor-first=Darra|year=2015|title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199313396|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jbi6BwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Perry |first=Charles |chapter=The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava |title=A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East |editor-first1=Sami |editor-last1=Zubaida |editor-link1=Sami Zubaida |editor-first2=Richard |editor-last2=Tapper |editor-link2=Richard Tapper |year=1994 |publisher=Bloomsbury USA |isbn=1-86064-603-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Perry|first=Charles|chapter=Studies in Arabic Manuscripts|pages=91–163|editor-last1=Rodinson|editor-first1=Maxime|editor-last2=Arberry|editor-first2=Arthur John|year=2001|title=Medieval Arab Cookery|location=Totnes|publisher=Prospect Books|isbn=0907325912|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EbHYAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Roden |first=Claudia |title=A New Book of Middle Eastern Food |date=1986 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=0-14-046588-X}}
*{{cite book|last=Salaman|first=Rena|chapter=The Case of the Missing Fish, or ''Dolmathon Prolegomena'' (1984)|pages=184–187|editor-last=Davidson|editor-first=Alan|year=1986|title=Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery 1984 & 1985, Cookery: Science, Lore and Books Proceedings|location=London|publisher=Prospect Books Limited|isbn=9780907325161|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jYa3J6xrjt4C}}
*{{cite book|last=Vryonis|first=Speros|year=1971|title=The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor and the Process of Islamization from the Eleventh through the Fifteenth Century |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-52-001597-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wBpIAAAAMAAJ}} Quoted in Perry (1994).
* {{cite journal |last=Wasti |first=Syed Tanvir |date=March 2005 |title=The Ottoman Ceremony of the Royal Purse |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=193–200|doi=10.1080/00263200500035116 |s2cid=143202946 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
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[[Category:Baklava| ]]
[[Category:Nut desserts]]
[[Category:Assyrian cuisine]]
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[[Category:Balkan cuisine]]
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[[Category:Kosovan cuisine]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern cuisine]]
[[Category:Ottoman cuisine]]
[[Category:Algerian cuisine]]
[[Category:Tunisian cuisine]]
[[Category:Uzbekistani cuisine]]
[[Category:Turkish desserts]]
[[Category:Greek desserts]]
[[Category:Armenian desserts]]
[[Category:Honey dishes]]
[[Category:Serbian cuisine]]
[[Category:Yemeni cuisine]]
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