Turkish baklava : A sweet affair in Gaziantep

Emerald green nuggets drip from the edges. My nose inflates — it has smelled a feast. On my first bite, there is a faint crunch in my mouth. As I chew, the flakiness gives way to a mellow sweetness, and then comes the burst of pistachios. The turkish baklava disintegrates in my mouth. Reduced to bits and pieces, they roll around on my tongue. When it is finished, I open my eyes, eager for the next baklava waiting for me on the plate.

I am in Gaziantep — a city on the silk road in south-eastern Turkey which has been added to the list of UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Gastronomy. Baklava is a melt-in-mouth phyllo pastry stuffed with nuts. I have read that Syrians take serious offense when Gaziantep is referred to as the Baklava capital of the world (reminds me of the West Bengal vs Orissa fight over roshogolla). Traditionally, Antep Baklavas are embellished with pistachio and dipped in sugar syrup/ honey.

The sweetmeat famous across the Middle-east, Balkan and Medditerenean countries has a somewhat controversial origin. Many countries claim it as their own. Historical research points out the possibility that baklavas might have been around since the 8^th century BC. The mention of baklava is found for the first time in an account of the imperial kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Constantinople (Istanbul) under the Ottoman rulers. The Ottomans are responsible for spreading baklava far and wide. The modern day baklava is a product of evolution of the dessert across history and geography.

A medley of tastes have influenced Gaziantep overtime. Being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities of the world, the Anatolian cuisine here has been influenced by the Middle-East and the Mediterranean. The vivid food culture of the city is reflected in its array of shops selling nuts and spices. Pistachio is the show-stealer here. Gaziantep is the pistachio —  or ‘fistik’ as they call it here — capital of Turkey and accounts for the majority of global cultivation.

Imam çağdaş and Turkish baklava making atelier

On the second day of my stay in Gaziantep, I visit Imam çağdaş, a 132 years-old restaurant, located in a quaint alley of the old city right opposite a mosque, popular for its baklava and kebaps. It employs about 100 people and is hands-down the best place to taste the most popular dessert of the town. In a day, Imam Cagdas produces around 500-700 kg of Baklava. It can be stored for about a week without going bad.

Handsome servers carry Turkish coffee in shining crockery. Some of them speak English. The counters are stacked with desserts tinted in shades of yellow and green. I go past the seating area and take the spiral staircase. After all, it is on the first floor where magic is baked.

A gush of heat strikes my face. Marble counters stacked with circular metal dishes, some overflowing with crushed pistachio, surrounded by stoves, capture the central part of the floor. In a glass room to its left, several men are busy preparing the baklavas.

Through a haze of flour I see about 20 men donning a short toque, wearing face-masks, dressed in white t-shirts and bottoms, are working on opposite ends of 10 marble counters. With a long pear-wood rolling-pin they stretch the phyllo dough. One of them holds out the sheet for me, I could see the usta’s (baklava maker) palms through it—thus establishing the sheet’s thinness! They place the sheets on a circular plate and cut in circles.

In the next room, several sheets coated with butter are placed on top of one another in a circular metal container. Kaymak is brushed over them before heavily loading them with crushed pistachio. Another set of dough sheets are placed on top of the pistachio. An expert swivels the container while simultaneously cutting the mass into triangles.

In the central oak-fuelled oven, the baklavas are left to bake. As sugar syrup, known here as serbet, gurgles in the stove, the warm freshly baked baklavas are generously drizzled with ladles of the sweet liquid. The syrupy Baklavas are now ready to sit on the counters to cool down! The workers start as early as 4 AM and work for 12 hours per day. Being experts in their field, they can do the job with perfection even with their eyes closed. Attending this session makes me realize the amount of effort, hard-work and dedication that goes into making the sweet that brings joy in the hearts of so many Turks and sweet-toothed people.

Dinner at Imam çağdaş in Gaziantep

I return to Imam çağdaş for dinner that night again. The restaurant is also popular for serving delectable kebaps, mostly lamb, but I am not fond of lamb or beef so I settle with some chicken kebaps. Hearty salads and an unending supply of breads keep piling on my basket. Some of my mates are vegetarians, they settle with Pide — a kind of Turkish pizza and vegetarian Lahmacun— a huge, thin, spicy crispy flatbread. Our meal is accompanied by bowls of ayran (the Turkish version of Indian chaas / buttermilk) and of course, there are baklavas for dessert!

My stint with Imam Cagdas ends here, but my Baklava eating adventures have only just started.

P.S – My guide Sehzat insisted that I buy baklavas to be taken home from Gaziantep itself. But I refused as Gaziantep was my first stop in Turkey and there were 6 more days I would spend in Turkey before returning to Mumbai. I just wanted to avoid carrying more luggage. So, as per my plan I avoided his advice and bought “Antep Baklavas” from Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Well, it was a huge mistake. There were hardly any pistachio in those Baklavas and the sweetness was too strong instead of mellow. Please, don’t repeat my mistake.

To watch my Gaziantep video on Youtube, please click here.

Have you tasted baklavas? What do you feel about them? Comment below and let’s get talking!

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Disclaimer: Tania was hosted by Turkey Tourism Board. All thoughts and opinions expressed in the post are of her own.

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