Of all Turkey's delicious sweet confections, the most famous is baklava. This exquisite flavoured pastry has been made in Anatolia for long centuries, and its ancestor may be a dish made by the Assyrians consisting of dried fruit sandwiched between two layers of pastry and baked in the oven. The earliest record of baklava as we know it today locates it in Damascus, from which city it spread to Gaziantep and from there to the rest of Turkey. Exactly when and how this happened is matter for debate. Nadir Güllü, head of the famous family firm of baklava makers, Güllüoglu, relates that his ancestor Haci Mehmed Güllü first tasted baklava in Damascus on his way to Mecca to perform the pilgrimage. He remained there for six months to learn how it was made, and introduced it to Gaziantep. The baklava of this city is made with even thinner layers of pastry, and filled with the fine quality pistachio nuts which grow in this region.
By the 17th century at least the fame of baklava had spread to Istanbul,

since towards the end of that century baklava was being made by the palace cooks as a special treat for the janissaries in Ramazan. The janissaries carried the trays of baklava out of the palace in what was known as the Baklava Procession.
During the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566), the soldiers had been given a large meal of pilaf, lamb stew and saffron flavoured rice pudding (zerde) before setting out on campaign, and in time, this tradition was replaced by the distribution of baklava during Ramazan.In the Istanbul Encyclopaedia, historian Ilber Ortayli gives this description of the Baklava Procession: 'In the middle of Ramazan the sultan, in his capacity as caliph, would pay a ceremonial visit to the Mantle of the Prophet and the other holy relics, which was followed by the Mantle of the Prophet Procession. Following this ceremony trays of baklava prepared in the palace kitchens, one for every ten janissaries, cavalry soldiers, artillery men and armourers, each wrapped in a cloth, were laid ready outside the imperial kitchens.

for baklava: ordinary baklava, baklava with clotted cream, decorative baklava with clotted cream, baklava with melon, and rice baklava.

Baklava has spread so far and wide that today it is to be found and eaten with relish in approximately one-fifth of the world's countries. It is surprising, for example, to find that baklava is popular in Texas, where it was introduced in the 19th century by Czech migrants.Less surprising is its prevalence throughout the Arabian peninsula, North Africa, the Turkic republics of Central Asia, Greece, Albania, Macedonia, India, Afghanistan and Armenia. However, there is an important difference between the baklava made in all these countries and that of Turkey - the thickness of the pastry layers.

In Turkey the sheets of pastry for baklava are rolled out so thinly that when held up the person standing behind can be seen as if through a net curtain.

Finally you pop it into your mouth and the baklava experience is complete as the flavour pervades your palate.If there is no crunch when your fork and teeth penetrate the baklava, then it is stale. Well made baklava should melt in the mouth, and should not be excessively sweet or syrupy. And if you get heartburn afterwards, then change your supplier, because that means they are not using the finest quality ingredients.
Although most people in Turkey buy their baklava, it is not impossible to make at home if you trust your skill at pastry rolling. So I give a recipe to try at home.

Nuray Mestçi, gazeteci.