HOMEMADE BAKLAVA RECIPES

Baklava, one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine, is much loved across the Middle East. There are many regional variations of baklava:

• In Lebanese cuisine, baklava is made of phyllo dough sheets filled with nuts (pistachios, walnut, cashews, pine nuts, almonds) and soaked in Atir – syrup made of orange blossom water and rose water, sugar and water.
• In Armenian cuisine, Pakhlava is spiced with cinnamon and cloves.
• In Greek cuisine, walnuts are more common than pistachios, and the dessert is often flavored with cinnamon. Greek-style baklava is supposed to be made with 33 dough layers, referring to the years of Christ’s life.
• In Turkish cuisine, baklava is traditionally made by filling between the layers of dough with pistachios, walnuts or almonds. In many parts of Turkey, baklava is often topped with kaymak or ice cream.