Pistachio Baklava is one of the most popular desserts of the Mediterranean cuisine. This dessert was first made at around 8th century B.C. Although it has faced a few moderations in the course of time, this delectable dessert has never failed to please even the toughest of food critics.
There can be no denial to the well known fact that a tasty dessert can make a meal a memorable experience. Ever heard the Turkish phrase, "Tatli yiyelim, tatli konuÅŸalim"? It literally translates into, "Let's eat sweet and let's speak sweet". Now, a country that believes in such a saying has to be the home to the most delectable of desserts, doesn't it? Turkey really has been a country that has gifted the world with many of today's most cherished sweet dishes. Pastries, puddings and custards are some of them. All of the Turkish desserts have the abundant use nuts and fruits that have been grown traditionally in the region. One such extremely popular and delicious dessert is Pistachio Baklava. Baklava is the most authentic and ambrosial type of Mediterranean sweet dish.
The Turkish chefs say that making a pistachio baklava is a work of art. It requires a passion for food making along with care and affection. The Assyrians were the first people prepared this scrumptious dessert. They made the first Pistachio Baklava at around 8th century B.C. They tried experimenting by putting together a few layers of thin bread dough, with chopped nuts in between those layers. Then they added some honey and baked it in their primitive ovens. Originally, it was considered to be a special dish and was reserved only for special occasions. Even until the later years of the 19th century, the Baklava was a food of 'the rich and the famous'.
For a fairly long time, Pistachio Baklava remained the most favorite dessert of the Turkish sultans. There was another reason for the widespread popularity of this dish among the nobility. The two principal ingredients, of this delicious sweet dish, the pistachio and honey, were believed to be aphrodisiacs when taken regularly. They further enhanced the taste of this pastry by adding in certain spices. Apart from improving the taste of the pastry, these special spices also helped to augment the aphrodisiac characteristics of this preparation. It is interesting to note that cinnamon was added for females and cardamom for males and cloves for both sexes.
Pistachio Baklava is considerably difficult to make. It takes a lot of time to prepare the dough. Once that is done, you have to work pretty quickly as the dough dries up and becomes brittle pretty easily. Even though, previously sugar was used for making the syrup; nowadays honey is used as it contains less calories and is healthier that sugar. Admittedly, if you are a new cook, making something like a baklava can be a messy job. It is because of this reason, foodies prefer to order Baklava from the Greek and Turkish shops. And then it is time to eagerly dive in.
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