FLAVOUR WHICH CONQUER PALATE
Of all Turkey's delicious sweet confections, the
most famous is baklava. This exquisite flavoured pastry has been
made in Anatolia for long centuries, and its ancestor may be a dish
made by the Assyrians consisting of dried fruit sandwiched between
two layers of pastry and baked in the oven. The earliest record
of baklava as we know it today locates it in Damascus, from which
city it spread to Gaziantep and from there to the rest of Turkey.
Exactly when and how this happened is matter for debate. Nadir Güllü,
head of the famous family firm of baklava makers, Güllüoglu,
relates that his ancestor Haci Mehmed Güllü first tasted
baklava in Damascus on his way to Mecca to perform the pilgrimage.
He remained there for six months to learn how it was made, and introduced
it to Gaziantep. The baklava of this city is made with even thinner
layers of pastry, and filled with the fine quality pistachio nuts
which grow in this region.
By the 17th century at least the fame of baklava had spread to Istanbul,since
towards the end of that century baklava was being made by the palace
cooks as a special treat for the janissaries in Ramazan. The janissaries
carried the trays of baklava out of the palace in what was known
as the Baklava Procession.
During the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566),
the soldiers had been given a large meal of pilaf, lamb stew and
saffron flavoured rice pudding (zerde) before setting out on campaign,
and in time, this tradition was replaced by the distribution of
baklava during Ramazan.In the Istanbul Encyclopaedia, historian
Ilber Ortayli gives this description of the Baklava Procession:
'In the middle of Ramazan the sultan, in his capacity as caliph,
would pay a ceremonial visit to the Mantle of the Prophet and the
other holy relics, which was followed by the Mantle of the Prophet
Procession. Following this ceremony trays of baklava prepared in
the palace kitchens, one for every ten janissaries, cavalry soldiers,
artillery men and armourers, each wrapped in a cloth, were laid
ready outside the imperial kitchens.
The fit tray was taken by the master armourer and
his officers in the name of the sultan, who was himself first janissary.
After that the others would be picked up in turn by pairs of soldiers,
and each unit with their officers would line up for the parade,
followed at the back by the soldiers holding the trays of baklava.
They would march out of the palace gate and down the main road known
as Divanyolu to their barracks with great pomp and clamour, watched
by huge crowds. The following day the empty trays and cloths would
be returned to the palace.' In later years the Baklava Procession
deteriorated into a noisy and disorganised occasion, and the trays
and cloths were no longer returned, with excuses like, 'the baklava
was so tasty we ate the trays and cloths as well.' However, despite
its unprepossessing end, the procession was one of the interesting
customs of Istanbul in the past.
In the first printed Turkish cookery book, Melceü't-Tabbahin
(Refuge of Cooks), its author Mehmet Kâmil gives five recipes
for baklava: ordinary baklava, baklava with clotted cream, decorative
baklava with clotted cream, baklava with melon, and rice baklava.
Baklava has spread so far and wide that today it
is to be found and eaten with relish in approximately one-fifth
of the world's countries. It is surprising, for example, to find
that baklava is popular in Texas, where it was introduced in the
19th century by Czech migrants.Less surprising is its prevalence
throughout the Arabian peninsula, North Africa, the Turkic republics
of Central Asia, Greece, Albania, Macedonia, India, Afghanistan
and Armenia. However, there is an important difference between the
baklava made in all these countries and that of Turkey - the thickness
of the pastry layers.
In Turkey the sheets of pastry for baklava are rolled
out so thinly that when held up the person standing behind can be
seen as if through a net curtain.
Elsewhere a thicker pastry known as phyllo (a Greek
word meaning 'layer') of the type used in Turkey for savoury layered
pastries, is used for baklava, which gives a coarser texture and
flavour. For the initiated, eating baklava has its own rules. Separating
the top and lower layers, or cutting through the lozenge shaped
pieces with a knife or fork is frowned upon. Instead you should
first leisurely survey the glorious sight of the baklava on your
plate, then spear a lozenge with your fork in such a way that one
third of the piece is behind the fork and the other two thirds are
facing you.
This is so that the lozenge does not break in two.
The crunch made by the fork as it penetrates the crisp layers is
another pleasure which should not be allowed to pass unnoticed.
As you lift the piece to your mouth you should halt to savour the
fragrance - which should be dominated by the wonderful aroma of
cooked butter.
Finally you pop it into your mouth and the baklava
experience is complete as the flavour pervades your palate.If there
is no crunch when your fork and teeth penetrate the baklava, then
it is stale. Well made baklava should melt in the mouth, and should
not be excessively sweet or syrupy. And if you get heartburn afterwards,
then change your supplier, because that means they are not using
the finest quality ingredients.
Although most people in Turkey buy their baklava, it is not impossible
to make at home if you trust your skill at pastry rolling. So I
give a recipe to try at home.
*Nuray Mestçi
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