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Many Ottoman sweets are similar to [[Byzantine cuisine|Byzantine]] sweets, using dough, sesame, wheat, nuts and fruits, and some were similar to the Ottoman [[börek]], [[halva]], and so on. Indeed, Vryonis identifies the ancient [[Ancient Greek cuisine|Greek]] ''gastris'', ''kopte'', ''kopton'', or ''koptoplakous'', mentioned in the [[Deipnosophistae]], as baklava, and calls it a "[[Byzantine]] favorite".<ref>Speros Vryonis ''The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor'', 1971, p. 482</ref>
Many Ottoman sweets are similar to [[Byzantine cuisine|Byzantine]] sweets, using dough, sesame, wheat, nuts and fruits, and some were similar to the Ottoman [[börek]], [[halva]], and so on. Indeed, Vryonis identifies the ancient [[Ancient Greek cuisine|Greek]] ''gastris'', ''kopte'', ''kopton'', or ''koptoplakous'', mentioned in the [[Deipnosophistae]], as baklava, and calls it a "[[Byzantine]] favorite".<ref>Speros Vryonis ''The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor'', 1971, p. 482</ref>


However, Perry argues that you could use a little more baklavaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
However, Perry argues that though ''gastris'' contained a filling of nuts and honey, it did not include any dough; instead, it involved a honey and ground [[sesame]] mixture similar to modern ''pasteli'' or ''[[halva]]''.<ref>Charles Perry, "The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava", in ''A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East'' (ed. [[Sami Zubaida]], [[Richard Tapper]]), 1994. ISBN 1-86064-603-4.</ref>


Perry then assembles evidence to show that you could use a little more baklavaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Perry then assembles evidence to show that layered breads were created by [[Turkic peoples]] in Central Asia, and argues that the "missing link" between the Central Asian folded or layered breads (which did not include nuts) and modern phyllo-based pastries like ''baklava'' is the [[Azerbaijan]]i dish ''[[Baku|Bakı]] pakhlavası'', which involves layers of dough and nuts. The traditional [[Uzbeks|Uzbek]] ''pakhlava'', ''puskal'' or ''yupka'' and [[Tatars|Tatar]] ''yoka'', sweet and salty savories (boreks) prepared with 10-12 layers of dough, are other early examples of layered dough style in Turkic regions.<ref name="Lambraki, p. 248-249">Akın and Lambraki, ''Turkish and Greek Cuisine/Türk ve Yunan Mutfağı'' p. 248-249, ISBN 9754584842</ref>


The thin phyllo dough as used today was probably developed in the kitchens of the Topkapı Palace. Indeed, the sultan presented trays of baklava to the [[Janissaries]] every 15th of the month of [[Ramadan]] in a ceremonial procession called the ''Baklava Alayı''.<ref>Syed Tanvir Wasti, "The Ottoman Ceremony of the Royal Purse", ''Middle Eastern Studies'' '''41''':2:193–200 (March 2005)</ref> Zibart claims that the [[Iranian people|Persians]] added the [[syrup]] and [[nut]]s.<ref>Zibart, Eve, ''The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion'', Menasha Ridge Press, 2001, ISBN 0897323726, 9780897323727; page 174.</ref>
The thin phyllo dough as used today was probably developed in the kitchens of the Topkapı Palace. Indeed, the sultan presented trays of baklava to the [[Janissaries]] every 15th of the month of [[Ramadan]] in a ceremonial procession called the ''Baklava Alayı''.<ref>Syed Tanvir Wasti, "The Ottoman Ceremony of the Royal Purse", ''Middle Eastern Studies'' '''41''':2:193–200 (March 2005)</ref> Zibart claims that the [[Iranian people|Persians]] added the [[syrup]] and [[nut]]s.<ref>Zibart, Eve, ''The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion'', Menasha Ridge Press, 2001, ISBN 0897323726, 9780897323727; page 174.</ref>

Revision as of 01:25, 21 November 2010

For the Macedonian music group, see Baklava (band).
Baklava
Baklava is prepared on large trays and cut into a variety of shapes
CourseDessert
Place of originOttoman Empire
Serving temperatureCold, room temperature or re-warmed
Main ingredientsPhyllo dough, nuts, sweetening
VariationsMultiple

Baklavaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (Ottoman Turkish: باقلوا) is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and much of central and southwest Asia.

History

The history of baklava is not well-documented. It has been claimed by many ethnic groups, but there is strong evidence that it is of Central Asian Turkic origin, with its current form being developed in the imperial kitchens of the Topkapı Palace.[1]

Many Ottoman sweets are similar to Byzantine sweets, using dough, sesame, wheat, nuts and fruits, and some were similar to the Ottoman börek, halva, and so on. Indeed, Vryonis identifies the ancient Greek gastris, kopte, kopton, or koptoplakous, mentioned in the Deipnosophistae, as baklava, and calls it a "Byzantine favorite".[2]

However, Perry argues that you could use a little more baklavaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Perry then assembles evidence to show that you could use a little more baklavaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The thin phyllo dough as used today was probably developed in the kitchens of the Topkapı Palace. Indeed, the sultan presented trays of baklava to the Janissaries every 15th of the month of Ramadan in a ceremonial procession called the Baklava Alayı.[3] Zibart claims that the Persians added the syrup and nuts.[4]

Other claims about baklava's origins include: that it dates back to ancient Mesopotamia, and was mentioned in a Mesopotamian cookbook on walnut dishes; that al-Baghdadi describes it in his 13th-century cookbook; that it was a popular Byzantine dessert.[5] But Claudia Roden[6] and Andrew Dalby[7] find no evidence for it in Arab, Greek, or Byzantine sources before the Ottoman period.

One of the oldest known recipes for a sort of proto-baklava is found in a Chinese cookbook written in 1330 under the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty under the name güllach.[8] "Güllaç" is found in Turkish cuisine. Layers of phyllo dough are put one by one in warmed up milk with sugar. It is served with walnut and fresh pomegranate and generally eaten during Ramadan.

A typical baklava, sweetened with syrup
In Turkey, baklava is typically served with whipped cream and pistachios

Local versions

In Turkey, Gaziantep is famous for its baklava and regarded there as its native city,[9] though it only appears to have been introduced to Gaziantep from Damascus in 1871.[10] In 2008, the Turkish patent office registered a geographical indication certificate for Antep Baklava.[11]

In Iran, a drier version of baklava is cooked and presented in smaller diamond-shaped cuts flavored with rose water. The city of Yazd is famous for its baklava, which is widely distributed in Iran.[12] Persian baklava uses a combination of chopped almonds and pistachios spiced with cardamom and a rose water-scented syrup and is lighter than other Middle Eastern versions.[13][14]

In Azerbaijan, pakhlava is mostly prepared during the Novruz festivity. After preparation the pakhlava is cut into diamond shapes and each piece is garnished with an almond or a walnut.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina baklava is generally rich in nuts and filling and is only eaten on special occasions, mostly during in the holy months of Ramadan and Eid.

In Afghanistan and Cyprus, baklava is prepared into triangle-shaped pieces and is lightly covered in crushed pistachio nuts.

In Albania - baklava is the most popular dessert, prepared usually once a year during the New Year festivities, and it is served after the New Year's Eve dinner, and the following days. Albanian housewives mostly prepare it from the scratch, by rolling out the dough rather than buying it ready made. The typical traditional ingredients are flour and egg yolks for the dough, and walnuts and real butter for the filling. The syrup is prepared by boiling water, sugar and vanilla powder(optional).

Etymology

The word baklava is first attested in English in 1653[15] and entered English from Turkish.[16][17] The name baklava is used in many languages with minor phonetic and spelling variations.

The ultimate origin of the name is unclear.

Buell argues that the word "baklava" may come from the Mongolian root baγla- 'to tie, wrap up, pile up' composed with the Turkic verbal ending -v;[8] baγla- itself in Mongolian is a Turkic loanword.[18]

Though the suffix -vā might suggest a Persian origin,[13][19] the baqla- part does not appear be Persian[20]

The Arabic name is doubtless a borrowing from Turkish,[21] though a folk etymology, unsupported by Wehr's dictionary, connects it to Arabic بقلة /baqlah/ 'bean'.

Pictures of Baklava

  • Pakhlava from Ganja, Azerbaijan
    Pakhlava from Ganja, Azerbaijan
  • Pakhlava from Ganja, Azerbaijan
    Pakhlava from Ganja, Azerbaijan
  • Pakhlava from Quba, Azerbaijan
    Pakhlava from Quba, Azerbaijan

Notes

  1. ^ Perry 1994, 87
  2. ^ Speros Vryonis The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor, 1971, p. 482
  3. ^ Syed Tanvir Wasti, "The Ottoman Ceremony of the Royal Purse", Middle Eastern Studies 41:2:193–200 (March 2005)
  4. ^ Zibart, Eve, The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion, Menasha Ridge Press, 2001, ISBN 0897323726, 9780897323727; page 174.
  5. ^ John Ash, A Byzantine Journey, page 223
  6. ^ New Book of Middle Eastern Food, 2000, ISBN 0-375-40506-2
  7. ^ Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece, 1997, ISBN 0-415-15657-2
  8. ^ a b Paul D. Buell, "Mongol Empire and Turkicization: The Evidence of Food and Foodways", p. 200ff, in Amitai-Preiss, 1999.
  9. ^ Guide Martin: Gaziantep
  10. ^ Esther Brunner, "A sweet journey: Güllüoğlu baklava" Turkish Daily News, June 14, 2008.full text
  11. ^ Bsanna News, February 21, 2008
  12. ^ N. Ramazani, "BĀQLAVĀ", Encyclopaedia iranica, Volume 3, Issues 5-8, page 729.
  13. ^ a b Batmanglij, Najmieh, A Taste of Persia: An Introduction to Persian Cooking, I.B.Tauris, 2007, ISBN 184511437X, 9781845114374; page 156.
  14. ^ Food and Booze: A Tin House Literary Feast, Michelle Wildgen, Nicole J. Georges, Tin House Books, 2006, ISBN 0977312771, 9780977312771; page 200.
  15. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition
  16. ^ Merriam-Webster Online, s.v. Baklava
  17. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged, s.v. Baklava
  18. ^ Sukhbaatar, O. (1997). A Dictionary of Foreign Words in Mongolian (PDF) (in Mongolian). Ulaanbaatar. p. 25. Retrieved 2008-10-08.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  19. ^ Marks, Gil, Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, John Wiley and Sons, 2010, ISBN 0470391308, 9780470391303; page 38.
  20. ^ "a derivation from balg, a common dialect form of barg "leaf", or from Ar. baql "herb" is unlikely", W. Eilers, Encyclopædia Iranica, s.v. 'bāqlavā'
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lambraki, p. 248-249 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

References

  • Reuven Amitai-Preiss and David O. Morgan, eds., The Mongol Empire and Its Legacy Brill, 1999. ISBN 90-04-11946-9.
  • Paul D. Buell, "Mongol Empire and Turkicization: The Evidence of Food and Foodways", p. 200ff, in Amitai-Preiss, 1999.
  • Christian, David. Review of Amitai-Preiss, 1999, in Journal of World History 12:2:476 (2001).
  • Perry, Charles. "The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava", in A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East (ed. Sami Zubaida, Richard Tapper), 1994. ISBN 1-86064-603-4.
  • Roden Claudia, "A New Book of Middle Eastern Food" ISBN 01-404658-8
  • Vryonis, Speros, The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor, 1971. Quoted in Perry (1994).
  • Wasti, Syed Tanvir, "The Ottoman Ceremony of the Royal Purse", Middle Eastern Studies 41:2:193–200 (March 2005)
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