turk here, baklava has to have the right amount of syrup. too much and it’s a disgusting sweet mess, just right and it’s a delightful flaky , pistachio topped treat
There’s a market here that sells boxed baklava from turkey, and it’s good. Too sweet for me. But the Greek Orthodox church nearby makes and sells baklava for raising money and during Greek fest, and it’s absolutely incredible. I always assumed I just didn’t care for Turkish baklava but liked Greek. After your comment, I’m wondering if it’s a boxed vs homemade dynamic I’m tuning into.
I think it’s a mix of staleness and philo dough quality. The imported turkish stuff has to be made, packaged, transported etc , it gets cooled, whatever and takes ages to get to you. Meanwhile the dough is getting stale and absorbing too much of the syrup, so it becomes lower quality. Also, as you point out, it’s mass produced.
Also, the homemade greek stuff probably starts out with higher quality philo dough, and is made fresh that morning.
Not to say the greeks, armenians , syrians or whatevers don’t have the capacity to make better baklava, I’m sure they all have great chefs.
Greek baklava also is typically made with butter and walnuts, whereas Turkish baklava is with pistachios and oil.
All that said, it’s all part of the Eastern Mediterranean cultural continuum, it’s all one thing and the flag you put on it matters less and less the more you learn about it.
part of the Eastern Mediterranean cultural continuum
this sounds like a great diplomatic way of phrasing the foods that have no specific origin during the era of the ottoman empire. I mean, some things are recent enough to be labelled turkish, or at least turkic, but others are uncertain enough to deserve this moniker.
I’ll tell you one thing though… none of that food is german, no matter what the walking Berliners will tell you about Döner Kebap.
I honestly think the continuum existed before the Ottomans. Take the Mediterannean and start mixing in everything from Persians, Armenians and Arabs to Romans, Slavs and Greeks. Everything is related to everything else and has a history from 3000BC and roots from Spain to Mongolia. Take a greco-roman cake, add persian confectionaries and let it marinate in the Ottoman empire, and presto a new thing.
Disclaimer : do not learn to make baklava from scratch, you will go mad. It’s up there with Sarma and Mantı as one of the most labor intensive parts of turkish cuisine.
I’ve never heard of Manti, but I’m gonna have to seek that out!
Sarma, on the other hand, I make at least 7 or 8 times a year. We call them dolma, or just stuffed grape leaves. Before my mom ended up bedridden, she and I would have dolma rolling nights, where we’d sit and roll the grape leaves for hours and make an enormous batch of them. I’m kinda shitty at it, and they turn out. Serviceable at best. My mom, though, she rolls them things like she’s been doing it her whole life. Each one perfect. But she grew up rolling joints in the 70s, so I guess the skill translated! Lol
That, and good Turkish delight is pretty dang nice
I’ve had it in Turkey and I was still meh.
The baklava, though…🤤
✋ - Getting your siblings killed for Turkish Delight.
👉 - Getting your siblings killed for baklava.
You mastered your meme alright XD
turk here, baklava has to have the right amount of syrup. too much and it’s a disgusting sweet mess, just right and it’s a delightful flaky , pistachio topped treat
There’s a market here that sells boxed baklava from turkey, and it’s good. Too sweet for me. But the Greek Orthodox church nearby makes and sells baklava for raising money and during Greek fest, and it’s absolutely incredible. I always assumed I just didn’t care for Turkish baklava but liked Greek. After your comment, I’m wondering if it’s a boxed vs homemade dynamic I’m tuning into.
I think it’s a mix of staleness and philo dough quality. The imported turkish stuff has to be made, packaged, transported etc , it gets cooled, whatever and takes ages to get to you. Meanwhile the dough is getting stale and absorbing too much of the syrup, so it becomes lower quality. Also, as you point out, it’s mass produced.
Also, the homemade greek stuff probably starts out with higher quality philo dough, and is made fresh that morning.
Not to say the greeks, armenians , syrians or whatevers don’t have the capacity to make better baklava, I’m sure they all have great chefs.
Greek baklava also is typically made with butter and walnuts, whereas Turkish baklava is with pistachios and oil.
All that said, it’s all part of the Eastern Mediterranean cultural continuum, it’s all one thing and the flag you put on it matters less and less the more you learn about it.
this sounds like a great diplomatic way of phrasing the foods that have no specific origin during the era of the ottoman empire. I mean, some things are recent enough to be labelled turkish, or at least turkic, but others are uncertain enough to deserve this moniker.
I’ll tell you one thing though… none of that food is german, no matter what the walking Berliners will tell you about Döner Kebap.
I honestly think the continuum existed before the Ottomans. Take the Mediterannean and start mixing in everything from Persians, Armenians and Arabs to Romans, Slavs and Greeks. Everything is related to everything else and has a history from 3000BC and roots from Spain to Mongolia. Take a greco-roman cake, add persian confectionaries and let it marinate in the Ottoman empire, and presto a new thing.
Keep talking to me…
Those are all really fair points. I wish I lived somewhere where people made good food, but alas, I have to wait for church bake sales lol
You could learn to make your own! :D
Disclaimer : do not learn to make baklava from scratch, you will go mad. It’s up there with Sarma and Mantı as one of the most labor intensive parts of turkish cuisine.
I’ve never heard of Manti, but I’m gonna have to seek that out!
Sarma, on the other hand, I make at least 7 or 8 times a year. We call them dolma, or just stuffed grape leaves. Before my mom ended up bedridden, she and I would have dolma rolling nights, where we’d sit and roll the grape leaves for hours and make an enormous batch of them. I’m kinda shitty at it, and they turn out. Serviceable at best. My mom, though, she rolls them things like she’s been doing it her whole life. Each one perfect. But she grew up rolling joints in the 70s, so I guess the skill translated! Lol
I’m sure she learnt from your grandma or one of your aunts, not just smoking weed :P
Whhat kind of heritage do you have to have this happen, greek, armenian , slavic, arabaic or something else?
Not all turkish delight in Turkey is good. Especially the one in tourist shops. The same way you can eat meh sushi in Japan or meh pizza in Italy.
Bam Bam Baklava
Milk and Chocolate, the cold baklava is good
The syrup baklava? BAD!!!