Baklava

Baklava (/bɑːkləˈvɑː, ˈbɑːkləvɑː/ ^ⓘ, or /bəˈklɑːvə/) is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with either syrup or honey.

There are several theories for the origin of this pastry, but in modern times, it is a common dessert among cuisines of countries in West Asia, Southeast Europe, Central Asia, and North Africa. It is also enjoyed in South Asia, where, although not a traditional sweet, it has become popular over the years.

The word baklava is first attested in English in 1650, a borrowing from Ottoman Turkish: باقلاوه /bɑːklɑvɑː/. The name baklava is used in many languages with minor phonetic and spelling variations. The earliest known reference to baklava is in a poem by the 15th century mystic Kaygusuz Abdal.

The historian Paul D. 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; baγla- itself in Mongolian is a Turkic loanword. The lexicographer Sevan Nişanyan considers its oldest known forms (pre-1500) to be baklağı and baklağu, and labels it as being of Proto-Turkic origin. Another form of the word is also recorded in Persian, باقلبا (bāqlabā). Though the suffix -vā might suggest a Persian origin, the baqla- part does not appear to be Persian and remains of unknown origin. The linguist Tuncer Gülensoy states that the origin of baklava is bakl-ı (feed) in proto-Turkish and suffixes -la-ğı are added. The word changes as bakılağı > bakılavı > baklava.

The Arabic name بقلاوة baqlāwa originates from Turkish.

Although the history of baklava is not well documented, an archaic version of baklava is said to have been prepared in the Byzantine empire, while its Turkish version was probably developed in the imperial kitchens of the Topkapı Palace in Constantinople (modern 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.

The three main proposals for the roots of baklava are the Greek placenta cake, the Arabic or Persian lauzinaj, and the Central Asian Turkic tradition of layered breads. According to food historian Gil Marks, Baklava has its roots in either Persia or Turkey. There are also claims attributing baklava to the Assyrians, according to which, baklava would have been prepared by them in the 8th century BC.

There are also some similarities between baklava and the Ancient Greek desserts gastris (γάστρις), kopte sesamis (κοπτὴ σησαμίς), and kopton (κοπτόν) found in book XIV of the Deipnosophistae. However, the recipe there is for a filling of nuts and honey, with a top and bottom layer of honey and ground sesame similar to modern pasteli or halva, and no dough, certainly not a flaky dough.