Baklava: the delicious Arabian Pastry

Baklava is a yummy dessert that offers its users an excellent savory test of syrup and the chiseled texture of pure honey. The sweet pastry-like dessert is easy to prepare, and it takes little time to cook this delicious sweet Arabian dish in your smart kitchen.

The history of Baklava dessert

Baklava is a sweet, layered pastry with a rich and storied history, with its origins dating back over a thousand years. Here’s an overview of the history of this delectable dessert:

• Ancient Roots: The earliest known precursors to baklava can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia, where early civilizations like the Assyrians and Babylonians made layered pastries sweetened with honey and filled with nuts.
• Byzantine Influence: The dessert evolved and gained popularity in the Byzantine Empire, where it was known as “koptoplakous.” This Byzantine version of baklava was made by layering dough with honey and crushed nuts.
• Arab Influence: During the Arab expansion in the 7th century, the recipe for this pastry traveled to various parts of the Middle East. The Arabs are believed to have introduced the use of filo dough, the thin pastry sheets that are a defining feature of modern baklava.
• Ottoman Era: Baklava as we know it today developed during the Ottoman Empire, particularly during the reign of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. The palace chefs refined the recipe and introduced different regional variations.
• Spread Across the Empire: Baklava became a favorite dessert of the Ottoman sultans and soon spread throughout the empire, including the Balkans, Greece, and the eastern Mediterranean. Each region developed its own unique twist on the dessert.
• Symbol of Celebration: Baklava became a symbol of celebration, commonly served during religious holidays, weddings, and special occasions in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures.
• Modern Variations: Today, baklava comes in numerous regional variations, using a combination of different nuts (such as walnuts, pistachios, or almonds), varying levels of sweetness, and unique flavorings like rosewater or orange blossom water.
• Global Popularity: Baklava’s fame extended far beyond its place of origin, and it is now enjoyed worldwide. It has become a staple in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Balkan cuisine, with each region adding its own twists to the classic recipe.
• Cultural Significance: Baklava holds cultural significance in many societies, where it is associated with hospitality, generosity, and cherished traditions.

The history of baklava is a testament to the cultural exchange and culinary creativity that has occurred over centuries, resulting in a beloved dessert enjoyed by people from various backgrounds and regions. Today, baklava remains a delectable symbol of shared traditions and rich history.

Baklava: how to cook the pastry

Ingredients needed for making the dish: (Suitable for making 24-25 pieces)

• Frozen filo pastry sheets: 1 roll, properly thawed.
• Milkio’s Ghee melted: 125g.

 Items needed for making the filling

• Pecan nuts: 300g, finely chopped.
• Almonds: 300g, finely ground.
• Sugar: ½ cup.
• Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon, grounded.

For the syrup

• Water: 2 cups.
• Sugar: 1 ½ cups.
• Clove: 1 whole.
• Lemon Juice: ½ a lemon.

Baklava: Instructions for making the pastry

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• Now, chop the nuts in a food processor.
• Mix pecan nuts, almonds, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Keep the mix aside.
• You need to remove the filo pastry roll from the plastic sleeve carefully.
• Now you must use scissors or a sharp knife: you must cut the sheets in half.
• If the sheets dry, you must cover them with a damp towel.
• Take a pastry brush: brush the bottom and all the sides of a rectangular pan with melted Milkio Grass-fed ghee.
• You have to start cooking by layering six sheets of filo: make sure you have brushed each of the sides with melted Milkio grass-fed ghee.
• Add ½ of the nut mixture in an even layer. Gently pat it down with a wooden spatula to make it flat.
• Now, continue the task of layering with another 6 sheets of filo.
• Add the residual nut mixture in an even layer. Top with the rest filo sheets.
• Before baking, make the top layer of filo flat and even so that you can cut the pieces with better ease.
• Bake the pastries for about 45 minutes or until the filo pastry becomes golden.

 Making the syrup:

• Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan and mix well.
• Add the clove to the mix and simmer the water-sugar mixture over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and discard the clove. Add half a lemon’s juice into the syrup. Allow the syrup to cool marginally.
• Meanwhile, the baklava baking will be done, and they will be still in warm condition: now, scoop the syrup carefully into the pan where the baklavas are kept.
• You may store Baklava in the refrigerator as well as you may store them in room temperature.

 Now enjoy the dessert with your friends and family:  Milkio’s grass-fed Ghee will add a special test with its pure quality in this UAE special dessert.

What are the benefits of using Milkio Grass-fed ghee?

• Baklava cooking is done by baking, which is high-temperature cooking. Ghee is an ideal dairy oil for baking because of its high smoking point, which is 485 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Milkio grass-fed ghee is all-natural and offers a nutty aroma. If you bake the pastry with Milkio grass-fed ghee, it will release a fresh, nutty smell.  It enhances the flavor of the pastry.
• Grass-fed ghee from Milkio is storage-friendly.  You can store the ghee in your kitchen storage up to 18 months from the manufacturing date. This long store life is a definite advantage of using Milkio grass-fed ghee.

About Milkio Ghee:

Try Milkio grass-fed ghee, which is prepared in New Zealand from local and imported ingredients. Milkio grass-fed ghee is all-natural and does not contain artificial color, flavor, or chemical preservatives.

Milkio grass-fed ghee products are verified as non-GMO. Milkio Foods, the leading grass-fed ghee manufacturer and exporter, produces them. The ghee is all-natural and offers an intensely nutty, feel-good aroma, rich, creamy texture, and additive-free quality, making it a superfood for the kitchen.

Milkio premium grass-fed Ghee is a gluten, lactose, casein, carb, sugar, and chemical-free product safe for consuming lactose intolerants and casein sensitives. It is keto and paleo diet-friendly.  Milkio organic ghee products do not contain artificial color, flavor, or preservatives.

Milkio grass-fed ghee, New Zealand, offers a high smoke point. It is shelf-stable dairy oil you can store in the kitchen at room temperature for up to 18 months from the manufacturing date. To buy Milkio ghee, you may order at the Milkio website. 

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