Baklava is a very popular Turkish dessert made on the basis of the French dough (Turkish Yufka). As it is said the best one comes from Gaziantep, although baklava in its present form has evolved in the sultan’s kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, where sultan treated the janissaries with this delicious sweet on the fifteenth day of Ramadan, during a procession called the Baklava Alayı.
Baklava with pistachios
This dessert is made up of layers of thin cake with chopped walnuts, almonds or pistachios and honey or syrup şöbiyet (based on butter and sugar). It is topped with syrup or icing and sprinkled with unsalted pistachios.
Person who is specializing in making this dessert is called Baklavacı. Preparation of this dessert is a test of abilities – dough must be both very thin and very durable. Standard dessert should consist of 40 layers of cake, but real champions can make it out of 100 layers. Well prepared one should not destroy in the hand but disintegrate in the mouth accompanied with the crunch of pastry while eating.