For those who do not know the history of baklava, this too is a litle bit of a secret. Baklava probably originate in Turkey or Central Asia although some have claimed that it goes back to ancient Assyria about 2,800 years ago if not even earlier. The word baklava almost certainly is from the Arabic word baklavi which means nuts. At some point baklava entered Greece, quite possibly being brought there by Greek seamen who had sailed to northern Turkey and found it there. Indeed, the word phyllo is Greek for leaf. Some also spell it as filo. From the Greeks it reached the kitchens of wealthy Romans. Baklava was especially popular in the 1400s during the time of the Sultan Mehmet. He ruled the Ottomon Empire which was in both Asia and the Middle East, essentially a Turkish empire. He ruled conquered the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Rome) and ruled 1444 to 1446, then later from 1451 to 1481. Although it is fairly commonly known that baklava has a strong tradition from the Middle East, few know that it also has a major French connection. In the late 1700s a French chef learned how to make baklava while exiled in the Ottomon Empire. His name was Guillaume, and he had been a pastry chef for Marie Antoinette. He added the technique of cutting and folding baklava that “traditional” baklava now has which is described in the basic baklava recipe. Today baklava is not only popular among Arabics in general as well as the many Arabic people living in Israel but also among the Jewish majority in Israel. For example it is eaten a lot during the holidays of Rosh Hashannah, Purim and other celebrations all through the year. Baklava for the Passover is made with matzo instead of phyllo. The tendency to use certain ingredients instead of others also sometimes indicates an ethnic influence, origin or tendency. Walnuts are favored by people in Lebanon; while pistachios or pistachios with almonds are more common in Iran. Many Sephardic Jewish people prefer blanched almonds for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashannah as the lighter color symbolizes the wish for a brighter new year. Hungarians like baklava that contains apricots. Metaxas is a recipe from Morocco in North Africa. Of course today baklava is actually international. Albanians claim it as their own. Czech love it. Americans also love it and it is cropping up more and more at social and church gatherings as well as found in many restaurants that have Middle Eastern or Mediterranean cuisine.
