Greek Baklava

Baklava or baklawa is a rich, sweet pastry featured in many cuisines of the former Ottoman countries. It is made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts, such as walnuts,
almonds, or pistachios, and sweetened with syrup or honey. The result is a dish so delicious that not only was it served to royalty but numerous ethnic groups claim it as their own. Baklava is an example of human ingenuity in developing food that not only nourishes the body, but also brings happiness to the mind and spirit.

Baklava is generally served on special occasions, in many areas during religious ceremonies. Thus, Christians serve baklava at Christmas and Easter, Muslims eat it during Ramadan, and Jews often enjoy it as a Rosh Hashannah and Purim treat.

Although the history of baklava is not well documented, its current form was probably developed in the imperial kitchens of the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. The Sultan presented trays of baklava to the Janissaries every 15th of the month of Ramadan in a ceremonial procession called the Baklava Alayı.

There are three proposals for the pre-Ottoman roots of baklava: the Central Asian Turkic tradition of layered breads, the Roman placenta cake, as developed through Byzantine cuisine, or the Persian lauzinaq.

The oldest (2nd century BCE) recipe that resembles a similar dessert is the honey covered baked layered-dough dessert placenta of Roman times, which Patrick Faas identifies as the origin of baklava: "The Greeks and the Turks still argue over which dishes were originally Greek and which Turkish. Baklava, for example, is claimed by both countries. Greek and Turkish cuisine both built upon the cookery of the Byzantine Empire, which was a continuation of the cooking of the Roman Empire. Roman cuisine had borrowed a great deal from the ancient Greeks, but placenta (and hence baklava) had a Latin, not a Greek, origin—please note that the conservative, anti-Greek Cato left us this recipe."

Shape the placenta as follows: place a single row of 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 tracta on top and go on doing so until all the cheese and honey have been used up. Finish with a layer of tracta. Place the placenta in the oven and put a preheated lid on top of it. When ready, honey is poured over the placenta.

— Cato the Elder, De Agri Cultura 160 BC

Greek baklava

Ingredients:

1 lb phyllo pastry, thawed if frozen.

1 cup butter, melted at room temp.

3⁄4 cup sugar.

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

2 cups chopped walnuts.

1⁄2 cup water.

1⁄4 cup lemon juice.

1⁄4 cup honey.

Preparation:

Layer half of the sheets of phyllo one sheet at a time, in a greased baking pan, brushing each sheet evenly with butter and folding ends over if necessary to fit into pan.

Keep unused sheets covered with plastic wrap while assembling baklava to prevent drying.

Mix 1/4 cup of the sugar and cinnamon; stir in walnuts. Sprinkle nut mixture evenly over buttered phyllo in pan. Layer remaining phyllo, one sheet at a time, over nut mixture, brushing each sheet evenly with butter. Cut diagonally into squares, cutting completely through all layers. Bake in preheated oven until crisp and golden, about one hour.

Combine remaining sugar, the water, lemon juice and honey in small saucepan; cook and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Heat to boiling; pour evenly over hot baklava. Let stand loosely covered 8 hours or overnight.

As a sweet, rich dish that requires time and expense in its preparation, baklava has generally been regarded in Greece as a dish reserved for special occasions. In some areas, baklava is the most important sweet served at weddings, and is even taken to the church before the ceremony. In many regions it is served at Christian celebrations such as Christmas, and at Easter when it is made with 40 sheets of phyllo dough representing the 40 days of Lent.