Baklava (Turkish)

Baklava is Turkey’s most famous export, and the city of Gaziantep guards the title of making the best in the world. Paper-thin layers of phyllo are brushed with butter, layered with chopped walnuts, and baked until deep gold, then soaked in a syrup of sugar, water, and lemon. Pistachios are the classic Gaziantep filling, but walnuts make a beautiful, more affordable home version. It is the dessert of holidays and weddings, cut into diamonds and served with strong Turkish coffee.

A thousand leaves, a single shatter

The phyllo shatters delicately under the fork, saturated with syrup but never soggy, while the walnut filling adds crunch and a toasty depth. The syrup gives it a glossy sheen and a clean sweetness balanced by lemon. Keep the phyllo covered while you work, pour cool syrup over the hot pastry, and give it a full night to absorb before cutting. A whole clove pressed into each diamond perfumes the syrup as it sets, and the butter is what creates those crisp, flaky layers, so brush generously.

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