By Akshara
March 16, 2026
Baklava is a celebrated dessert across the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean and parts of the Balkans, but its most iconic versions are strongly associated with Turkey and the culinary traditions of the former Ottoman Empire. The dessert consists of thin sheets of phyllo pastry layered with butter and finely chopped nuts, baked until crisp and then soaked in fragrant syrup. In Turkey, pistachios are the preferred filling in many regions, especially around Gaziantep, which is famous for producing some of the finest pistachios used in baklava.
12 sheets phyllo pastry 1 cup finely chopped pistachios or mixed nuts ½ cup melted butter ½ cup sugar ½ cup honey ½ cup water Few drops lemon juice
Brush a baking dish with melted butter and layer several sheets of phyllo pastry, brushing butter between each layer.
Sprinkle a layer of chopped pistachios and continue alternating pastry sheets and nuts until the dish is filled.
Cut the assembled pastry into diamond shapes and bake at 180°C until golden and crisp.
Simmer sugar, honey, water and lemon juice to make a light syrup and pour it over the hot baked baklava before cooling.