Baklava has come a very long way – in both historical and geographical terms. Many ethnic groups lay claim to this moreish pastry, and, truth be told, many have played a part in its evolution. Known as one of the Middle East’s grandest sweets, it’s believed to have started, in its crudest form, with the Assyrians around 8BC. Thin bread dough was layered with chopped nuts and honey and baked in wood-burning ovens. Greek merchants travelling east to Mesopotamia then took the recipe to Athens, and finessed it with leaf-thin filo pastry (phyllo means leaf in Greek). The Armenians, located on the Spice Route, introduced cinnamon and cloves; the Arabs added cardamom and rosewater.
From its humble origins, it became a sweet adored by the wealthy. At the peak of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish sultans and their harems prized it for its purported aphrodisiac qualities – cinnamon for women, cardamom for men and cloves for both sexes. Unfortunately, many people’s experience of baklava today does little to recapture its former glory. Often what’s commercially available is made with low-grade oils instead of butter, and peanuts are substituted for the traditional (and more expensive) walnuts and pistachios, to poor effect.
- Story:
- EMMA KNOWLES
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.