UKUS LETA / THE TASTE OF SUMMER
Upoznajte baklavu
Simbol luksuza i kraljevskog ponosa Baklava – prhki slojeviti desert
od testa punjen orasima i zaslađen si- rupom ili medom – jedan je od najo- miljenijih slatkiša sa Bliskog istoka, sa bogatom istorijom koja se proteže mi- lenijumima. U svakom zalogaju njenih natopljenih slojeva mogu se osetiti odje- ci drevnih palata, užurbanih bazara i po- rodičnih kuhinja. Ljubitelji hrane se če- sto pitaju o istoriji baklave, a istina je slojevita kao i sama delicija: od mesopo- tamskih peć i i persijskih dvorova pre- ko grčkih i rimskih banketa, i konačno, do osmanskih sultana koji su osmisli- li tursku baklavu koju danas poznaje- mo i volimo. U kuhinjama palate Topkapi u Cari- gradu (današnjem Istanbulu), osmanski kuvari su sintetizovali vekove regional- nih uticaja i usavršili umetnost prav- ljenja baklave. Najraniji poznati pisani pomen imena „baklava“ potiče iz tog pe- rioda i jedne poeme sa početka 15. veka. Osmanski kuvari u palatama bili su pra- ve zanatlije: razvijali bi testo tako tanko da se praktično moglo čitati kroz njega, slažuć i desetine listova kore sa otoplje- nim puterom i sitno seckanim orasima. Istoričari ukazuju da je baklava, kakvu danas poznajemo, verovatno usavršena u carskim kuhinjama, kako bi impresio- nirala sultane, a taj je proces do 17. veka bio više nego uspešan. Baklava nije bila svakodnevni slatkiš – bila je simbol luk- suza i kraljevskog ponosa, rezervisana za posebne prilike i počasne goste. Međutim, kako se Osmansko car- stvo širilo, ali i bližilo kraju, tako je i ba- klava polako odlazila veoma daleko, da bi do 18. i 19. veka prestala da bude ek- sluzivno uživanje kraljevskog dvora, već se proširila i na mase. Do zenita Carstva postala je osnovna poslastica u bliskoi- stočnim i mediteranskim kulturama, od severne Afrike do Balkana i centralne Azije. Svaki region je dao svoj doprinos receptu, mada je turski uticaj u defini- sanju moderne baklave ostao nemerljiv. Značajno je da se čak i danas baklava če- sto poistoveć uje sa Turskom – što sve- doči o osmanskoj ulozi u uzdizanju ovog deserta do kulinarske slave.
MEET BAKLAVA
A symbol of luxury and royal pride
melted butter and finely chopped wal- nuts. Historians suggest that the bakla- va we know today was probably perfect- ed in the imperial kitchens in an effort to impress the sultans, and that the pro- cess had proved more than successful by the 17 th century. Baklava was not an everyday treat – it was a symbol of lux- ury and royal pride, reserved for special occasions and honoured guests. However, with the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, but also as it ap- proached its demise, baklava also slow- ly conquered great distances, only for it to cease to be a treat exclusive to the royal court by the 18 th and 19 th centu- ries, when it spread to the masses. By the time the Ottoman Empire reached its peak, baklava had become a stand- ard dessert of Middle Eastern and Med- iterranean cultures, enjoyed everywhere from North Africa to the Balkans and Central Asia. Every region gave its own contribution to the recipe, though the Turkish influence over the defining of today’s baklava remained immeasura- ble. It is significant that baklava is still often associated with Turkey - testifying to the role of the Ottomans in elevating this dessert to culinary glory.
Baklava - a layered flaky pastry dessert filled with walnuts and sweetened with syrup or honey – is one of the most be- loved Middle Eastern desserts, with a rich history that extends back millennia. One can feel the echoes of ancient palac- es, bustling bazaars and family kitchens in every bite of its moist layers. Foodies often enquire about the history of bakla- va, and the truth is as layered as the del- icacy itself: from Mesopotamian ovens and Persian courts, via Greek and Ro- man banquets, to finally arrive on the tables of Ottoman sultans who perfect- ed it and turned it into the Turkish bak- lava that we know and love today. In the kitchens of Topkapi Palace in the then Constantinople (today’s Istanbul), Ottoman chefs synthesised centuries of regional influences to perfect the art of making baklava. The earliest known written mention of the name “bakla- va” dates back to that period and an ear- ly 15 th century poem. Ottoman palace chefs were true craftsmen: they would roll the pastry so thin that you could practically read through it like tracing paper, layering dozens of sheets with
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