Baklava and its History

Baklava is a popular sweet pastry made from filo dough, closely linked with the history of Greece, Turkey and the Middle East. This sweet treat is a crowd favorite for anyone familiar with Turkish cuisine or the areas that makes up the Eastern Mediterranean, especially in countries that made up the Ottoman Empire. Still, unlike any other familiar dessert many are curious about how it is made and where it comes from.

Filo Dough

Filo dough is a special dough that gives baklava its unique layered texture. The dough is made of sheets of unleavened flour. This is very simple type dough with flour, water, oil and a touch of raki (the signature anise-flavored Turkish alcohol). For baklava it can be rolled into exceptionally thin sheets and layered. Sandwiched in between the layers of filo dough is one or two layers of nuts, whether pistachios, walnuts or and/or almonds and cooked until crispy.

Making filo at home is not for amateurs as it takes time and filo dough can be so thin you can read a newspaper through it.

Baklava History

Almost all ethnic groups in the region claim baklava. Baklava’s history is not clear as it is similar to Byzantine and Assyrian desserts but owes its name to Mongolian and Turkish words.

The current national boundaries were not the same at the time of baklava’s invention, but baklava became the baklava we know today during the Ottoman Empire. It benefitted from an advance by the Greeks in making paper thin strips of dough called phyllo (Greek word for ‘leaf’ dough) or filo. As Greek speaking peoples lived in western Anatolia for thousands of years, many Hellenistic people inevitably stayed with the migration of the Turks into Anatolia and there was some cultural exchange, especially with food.

Cultural Exchange

Baklava was inevitably a food that Turks absorbed into their culture. Soon, as the Ottoman Turkish empire expanded far beyond Anatolia, baklava became a household dessert across the Mediterranean and into the Middle East. By most estimates, Turks have made it more of an everyday dessert (helped by innovation in producing labor-intense filo dough) while Greeks still reserve baklava for special occasions.  Each region developed their own slightly different version whether in the Middle East or the Balkans, often using different nuts and spices.

The Turks treated baklava as a dessert of the wealthy. The Sultan would give it as a special gift.  This makes sense because of the skill needed in making filo dough. Some bakers even have to apprentice before they are ready to make the paper thin dough by hand.

Spread and Increase in Popularity

Now baklava is known all over the world and variations have been discovered in numerous countries and communities. Although it is labor intensive, more and more people whose family isn’t from the eastern Mediterranean or Middle East are attempting to make baklava at home. Of course, only the brave and patient roll out the filo dough themselves as it is now available to be bought at grocery stores. Even with the sheets of filo dough, it takes time to lay out all the layers for baklava. But it is worth it, every sweet bite.

We invite you to come and try out baklava at Bodrum along with other food made from filo dough.

Creative Commons Photos from Flickr