Baklava is such a great and easy dessert. Layered phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts, and bathed in a sweet honey syrup. This dessert was the most popular dessert of Ottoman Cuisine. The history of baklava was not very well documented, and the pre-ottoman origin of this dish is unknown. Today, this is a very common dessert in Iranian, Turkish and Middle Eastern Cuisines.
I had this dessert for the first time when I was 14 years old, and I can remember the store and the story behind it. What I can say is that when I first tried it, I knew I had to have it in my life every single day, and I did for almost 2 months. This dessert is very different from most Romanian desserts. I was simply hooked on it, and I couldn’t stop myself from indulging for that period of time. Here in the United States, I was never able to find a place that served a good homemade baklava, so I had to come up with my own recipe.
The baklava that I’m presenting to you today is a combination of many cuisines in one. The way that I rolled my baklava is very Greek, and that’s why it’s also called Saragli, which describes that this specific baklava is rolled instead of layered. I added a hint of rose water which is an Iranian touch, and the combination of walnut & almond combination can be considered Turkish. I don’t like my baklava sickly sweet, and I adjusted my syrup accordingly. I hope that you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we do!
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