Baklava Baklava Baklava (, , or ; ) is a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the Levant, the Caucasus, Balkans, Maghreb, and of Central and West Asia. The word "baklava" is first attested in English in 1650, a borrowing from Ottoman Turkish . The name baklava is used in many languages with minor phonetic and spelling variations. Historian Paul D. Buell argues that the word "baklava" may come from the Mongolian root ' 'to tie, wrap up,
Turkish cuisine For example, "komposto" (compote) or "hoşaf" (from Persian "khosh âb", literally meaning "nice water") are among the main side dishes to meat or pilav. "Dolma" and pilaf usually contain currants or raisins. "Etli yaprak sarma" (vine leaves stuffed with meat and rice) used to be cooked with sour plums in Ottoman cuisine. Turkish desserts do not normally contain fresh fruit, but may contain dried varieties. Eggplant () has a special place in the Turkish cuisine. In some regions, meat, which was mostly eaten only at wedding ceremonies or during the "Kurban Bayramı" ("Eid ul-Adha") as "etli pilav" (pilaf with meat),