How baklava was discovered and where it came from, how it spread

 

The history of baklava is as multicolored as the history of the lands of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. It is widely believed that the Assyrians in the 8th century, were the first people to place several layers of thin bread, with chopped nuts between those layers, add a little honey and put it in their primitive ovens by burning wood.

This early known version of baklava was baked only on special occasions. In fact, baklava was historically considered a food for the rich until the mid-19th century. In Turkey, to this day we can hear a common expression often used by the poor, saying: "I am not rich enough to eat baklava and pie every day."

Greek sailors and merchants traveling east to Mesopotamia soon discovered the delights of baklava. It amazed their taste buds, so they brought the recipe to Athens.

The greatest contribution of the Greeks in the development of this dessert is the creation of a dough technique that made it possible for it to roll as thin as a leaf, as opposed to the baked fabric and bread of Assyrian dough. In fact, the name "Phyllo" was coined by the Greeks, meaning "leaf" in Greek.

From the 18th century, there was nothing good enough to add to its perfect taste and quality.

There were, however, some modifications to the shaping and appearance of the baklava on a baking tray (called Sini), traditionally laid out and cut into squares or triangles, given a "French touch" in the late 18th century. . When the Empire began to open itself to Western cultural (and culinary) influences, the general manager (Kahyabasi) of Imperial Cuisine did not miss the opportunity to hire Guillaume, a former pastry chef of Marie Antoinette, who was in exile at the Turkish palace after learned how to bake baklava, created the technique of "dome" cutting and folding baklava, which were later named "Baklava Francaise" (Frank Baklavasi) after the nationality of its creator.

The history of baklava reveals that it came from the Far East, even so, different countries offer delicious variations.