A sine qua non of social life in the Middle and Far East, sweets gradually began to find their way into western cuisines from the 14th and 15th centuries. But there are significant differences between eastern and western cuisines in the variety and consumption of sweets. Whereas in the West sweets tend to be light and are served at the end of the meal, in the East they are served at any hour of the day and are fragrant and flavourful and drenched in syrup.

THE DISTINCTIVE POSITION OF BAKLAVA
Everyone knows that sweets are a staple of Turkish cuisine. Take ‘baklava’, for instance, the Turks’ most important contribution to the world of sweets. It absolutely cannot be made from a mere recipe; only long years of experience can impart its special flavor. Although many theories have been advanced concerning the invention of baklava, none is certain. According to Charles Perry, however, a researcher on the history of Middle Eastern cuisine, the technique of rolling out paper-thin dough originated in this part of the world.