Baklava was brought (along many others) by the Ottomans, and is prepared differently depending on the regions and cities. In Iranian cuisine, a drier version of baklava is cooked and presented in smaller diamond-shaped cuts flavored with rose water. The cities of and are famous for their baklava, which is widely distributed in Iran. Persian baklava uses a combination of chopped almonds and pistachios spiced with cardamom and a rose water-scented syrup and is lighter than other Middle Eastern versions. Baklava Baklava (, , or ; ) is a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped
Baklava is not well documented, its current form was probably developed in the imperial kitchens of the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. The Sultan presented trays of baklava to the Janissaries every 15th of the month of Ramadan in a ceremonial procession called the ". There are three proposals for the pre-Ottoman roots of baklava: the Roman placenta cake, as developed through Byzantine cuisine, The oldest (2nd century BCE) recipe that resembles a similar dessert is the honey covered baked layered-dough dessert ' of Roman times, which Patrick Faas identifies as the origin of baklava: "The Greeks and the Turks still argue