Baklava is a Turkish sweet pastry made with layers of filo, nuts, and syrup.
The dessert consists of thin sheets of filo pastry layered with chopped nuts, commonly pistachios or walnuts, and held together by syrup or honey. Butter or clarified butter is typically brushed between the pastry layers before baking. The finished dessert is cut into shapes such as diamonds, rectangles, or rolls.
Baklava is associated particularly with Ottoman culinary culture and remains important in Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, the Levant, and parts of the Caucasus. Its exact origin is debated because several regional pastries developed similar layered techniques.
A common mix-up is confusing baklava with künefe. Künefe also uses cheese and syrup, but it is made with shredded pastry and is served hot. Baklava, by contrast, is identified by its stacked filo layers and nut filling.