Turkish Baklava is One of the 10 Most Famous Meals in the World
“Having Baklava”: a stunning result of a study performed in 2019 on the first activity a tourist would like to do upon arriving at Turkey. No wonder, baklava tops the list of wishes surpassing its closest competitor “Hagia Sophia Visit”. What’s the reason behind this overwhelming popularity of baklava around the world? And why would authors flatter its beauty and taste in their writings?
Not only this, baklava ignited a crisis amongst countries and people went out on demonstrations for it.
In this article, we’re going to summarize everything related to what people call “the Lady of Turkish Sweets”.
What Is Baklava?
Layers of crispy dough stuffed with nuts such as pistachios, walnuts and added with syrup or honey for sweetening and cohesion. The dough is renowned in Arabic cuisines, the Middle East in special, in addition to Turkish, Moroccan, and Balkan cuisines. Baklava was awarded the honorary rank alongside another 15 others dishes of non-European origin.
What is The Meaning of Baklava?
Versions diverse about the origin and meaning of baklava. One says that one of the palace cooks at the time of Sultan Abdul Hamid, called “Lawa”, is the first to invent this dish when ordered by the Sultan to prepare a sweet dish. Lawa prepared this type and when presented to the Sultan, he admired it a lot and said: “Baak Lawa NEH Yaptiye” i.e. “Look what did Lawa do?”.
As a way of honoring the skillful cook, this dish was named after her spreading all over the world thereafter.
Other resources confirm that the origin of the name came when one of the Sultans asked his skillful wife to prepare something different, so she made this new type using dough flakes and when he tasted it, he admired it and called it “Baklava”.
You can also, for more info, visit our blog: Everything you want to know about Turkish Baklava”.
Date of Inception
There is no consensus up to date about the era in which baklava appeared much like most other famous dishes. Some books say that the Assyrians in Mesopotamia were the first to know baklava in the 2nd century B.C.
On the contrary, Nick Doumanis, the Mediterranean countries historian says that allegations saying that baklava dates back to Assyrians ear in not true and baseless, yet there was a similar dessert in that time stuffed with dried fruits.
Professor Doumanis believes that its most likely that baklava was invented by Turks or Mongolians in mid Asia who excelled in wrapping and stuffing dough flakes. He further says that the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century was a mean of spreading baklava in countries controlled by it in the Middle East and Mediterranean and that’s why there were present similar desserts to baklava.
The above justifies the words of Ms. Popovski of the Yugoslavian origin that baklava is a traditional recipe in Macedonia and that she prepares and sells the same in her own canteen in Sydney.
Is Baklava Turkish or Syrian?
The oldest documentation of a “Baklava dish” dates back to TopKapi kitchen during the reign of Sultan Muhammad Al fatih. According to these recordings, baklava was prepared in the palace kitchen the thing that proves the presence of baklava throughout the Ottoman State. Day after another, it started to spread in Syrian and Lebanon where it was developed and acquired the eastern character.
In brief, and according to that, baklava was Turkish and moved later to Syria.
On the other hand, Karaköy Güllüoğlu, the most famous baklava maker of the fifth generation of the family, says that his grandfather was on his way to Mecca to perform Hajj rituals, passing by Aleppo, he tasted baklava, admired it and decided to bring it over with him to Gaziantep in Turkey.
Ways of Serving Baklava in Turkey
Whether the roots are Syrian, Turkish, or Greek, no doubt that the Ottoman era was the biggest influencer of the way of making this dessert and its components. It can be described as much closer to the classical baklava we see today.
Baklava serving methods differ from one city to another in Turkey. Antep residents serve it with the delicious Antep pistachios, in northern Turkey and the Black Sea stuffed with hazelnuts, while in the Aegean Sea and western regions it is made with almonds. Residents of Balikesir, nevertheless, serve it stuffed with olives.
Turkish Baklava, Customs, Traditions, and More
Turkish baklava is not just a dessert, it’s an integral part of customs and traditions of countries famous for the production thereof. In Turkey it’s served in Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha and in cases of consolations.
Likewise, baklava, in most Arab countries, is considered one of the most consumed in Al-Fitr and Al-Adha Eids as well as during the month of Ramadan.
In Greece and the Christian culture, baklava is served in weddings and in Easter’s celebrations where baklava is made of 40 layers resembling the fasting days. According to some Greek references, it is also made of 33 layers a number that indicates the age of Jesus Christ.
Ingredients of Baklava Dough
- Dough flakes, butter, sugar or honey, mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashew)
- Optional substances (ice cream, cream, butterfat)
Ways of Making Baklava
- Grease the bottom and sides of an oven tray with butter, cut the dough flakes according to tray;
- Put two layers in the tray, grease with butter, repeat the same four times until having eight layers of flakes;
- Grind the nuts and sprinkle on dough in suitable amounts;
- Add two new layers of dough, greases with butter and add nuts. Recover the nuts with a layer of 6 to 8 flakes. Add an abundant quantity of butter;
- Cut the dough with a knife, put in the oven for about 50 minutes until becoming golden hue and crispy;
- Take out of the oven and pour some syrup immediately. Leave aside for a while until it cools.
How many Calories in Baklava
100 g of baklava contain around 400 Kal, one meal 650, and 165 Kal for one piece of it.
You can have a look at our blog: How to Eat Turkish Baklava without Gaining Weight.
- Baklava Nutritional Value
- 100 g of Baklava contain:
- 49 g of carbohydrates
- 7 g of protein
- 21 g of fat
- 3g of fibers
Different Types of Turkish Baklava
- Walnuts Baklava
- Pistachios Baklava
- Hazelnuts Baklava
- Almonds Baklava
- Green Baklava
- Chocolate Baklava
- Cold Baklava
- Burma Baklava
- Burma Kadayif Baklava
- Mixed Baklava
- Mussel Baklava
- Triangles Baklava
- Gluten-free Diet Baklava
The Best Turkish Baklava and Places to Buy
Hafiz Mustafa Baklava
Hafiz Mustafa Sweets was established in 1864 during the reign of Sultan Abdul Aziz by Ismail Haqqi of whom his son Mustafa learned the industry while assisting him in Eminönü, Istanbul. After his father’s death, Mustafa expanded his business. He made different types of sweets such as the luxurious Turkish delights, coffee, and tea. He won 11 medals in one of the exhibitions in Europe.
His store became a destination for whomever wants to visit Turkey. Hafiz Mustafa sweets company owns a wide stores chain in and outside Turkey.
For more info, you can visit our blog: Hafiz Mustafa, Inception, Products, and Prices. If you want to know about: Hafiz Mustafa Sweets Types in full, please visit our blog.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu Baklava
Karaköy Güllüoğlu Sweets Company is considered one of the most famous and delicious in Turkey. Its factory is the biggest in the region and is run by Nader Karakoy Gulluoglu, a member of the 5th generation of the famous family.
After the death of Haj “Muhammad Güllüoğlu” who was known as the first baklava seller in Turkey, his wife “Güllü” took over making sweets at home. She sent her products to her sons for sale. This was the reason behind naming the store “Güllüoğlu” i.e. “the sons of Gullu.”
In 1949, the grandson of Haj Muhammad opened the first shop for selling baklava in Istanbul. Since then, the store produces the finest and most delicious types of it.
The store is distinctive for it diversified Turkish sweets. It offers its customers a wide spectrum of traditional sweets and baklava is its main specialty; types of which are: walnuts, pistachios, diet, chocolate, dates, and Burma baklava in addition to fresh puddings stuffed with cheese, meat, spinach, and olives.
What Is The Best Turkish Baklava stores?
Sweet Saray Store provides the most luxurious and best price baklava types in Turkey such as Hafiz Mustafa & Karaköy Güllüoğlu baklava in addition to secure payment service, and quick delivery where you can have your order fresh at your doorstep within 3 to 7 working days.
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