The original Baklava, an authentic and several hundred-year-old Middle Eastern pastry, is the most popular of all Mediterranean pastries. It belongs to the assorted Baklava family, which consists of many pastries and nuts.
Among all the varieties in the range, the original type of Baklava, also known as the classic, has been widely recognized and popular around the world over the past few years. It consists of pistachios, walnuts, cedar nuts or cashews, embossed between small layers of filo pastry and cut into a rectangular or diamond shape. This Mediterranean pasta is often referred to simply as ‘Baklava’ in its original form.
In the Middle East, on the other hand, the term refers to a wide variety of candies made from dough filled with nuts. This variety includes: Borma, Ballorieh, Basma, Basima, Kol Weshkor (roses), Bird’s Nest and Fingers. In the Middle East, all of these types of sweets are commonly referred to as “Arabic sweets.”
Interestingly, in the Middle East, traditional baklava is not the most popular among the various Arabic sweets available. While Borma is one of my favorite types, each type finds a lot of fans. Among the most liked are Ballorieh, Basma, Borma, Asabi and Col Weshkor.
It is also interesting to note that although walnut filling is provided by default in Mediterranean dough in the Western world, this version is rarely found in the Middle East. Middle Eastern cakes are usually filled with pistachios or a mixture of pine nuts and cashews, as is the case with all other types of Arabic sweets.
Although there are many Mediterranean producers in the United States today, the quality of their products is far from comparable in the High Middle East, especially in Lebanon and Syria. So the best Mediterranean sweets available in the US today are still those imported directly from Lebanon and Syria.
High quality Mediterranean cakes are made with great skill and craftsmanship. High-quality pastries are rich in nuts and contain an average amount of sugar syrup. Soaking in sugar syrup is a sign of deteriorating quality and is usually done to reduce costs. In addition, the highest quality Baklava is made from a special handmade dough, as opposed to filo dough, which is easily available in supermarkets.
