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,
Iranian cuisine Iranian cuisine Iranian cuisine comprises the cooking traditions of Iran. The term Persian cuisine is also used, even though the Persians are only one of Iran's native ethnic groups that have contributed to the culinary culture. Iran's culinary culture has historically interacted with the cuisines of the neighboring regions, including Caucasian cuisine, Turkish cuisine, Levantine cuisine, Greek cuisine, Central Asian cuisine, and Russian cuisine. Through the Persianized Central Asian Mughal dynasty, aspects of Iranian cuisine were also adopted into Indian cuisine and Pakistani cuisines. Typical Iranian main dishes are combinations of rice with meat, vegetables, and nuts. Herbs are frequently