THE HISTORY OF

 SYRIAN BAKLAVA

Syrian cuisine is a fusion of various culinary cultures that thrived in the Levant. Such cultures predated the Islamic era but blossomed during the Umayyad rule, through the Persian-influenced Abbasid rule, and reached its zenith in the Ottoman era. This makes this culinary culture one of the richest in the world.

Baklava is a dessert made of layers of flaky pastry filled with crushed nuts such as pistachios, walnuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and pine nuts.

Flakes are prepared and baked then brushed with syrup and honey.

Baklava dates back to the eighth century BCE during the Assyrian empire.

The reason baklava is an authentic Syrian dessert is that it requires pistachios that are called Red Aleppo (green pistachio) that originated in Aleppo in northern Syria.

Turks, Greeks, Italians, Egyptians and Persians consider baklava part and parcel of their culinary culture. However, they use different types of nut fillings. Although baklava is well-known and well-loved in various countries, authentic Syrian baklava remains unique in its taste, texture and shape.