Baklava is a sweet delicacy of the Ottoman cuisine, which is now consumed as a delectable treat all over the world. People who have a sweet tooth enjoy this sweet treat. Consumed only on special occasions, the key baklava ingredients are phyllo dough (made from flour, oil, vinegar), chopped nuts, and sugary syrup (made from sugar, water, and honey). Other than these, flavoring ingredients like rose water, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, etc., are used to impart a different taste. The nuts are stuffed in between the layers of phyllo dough. After cooking is over, the baked goody is sweetened by drizzling honey or sugary syrup over it. While serving, baklava is cut into different shapes and sizes, according to personal preference. Even though the core ingredients of baklava remain the same, there are various alterations to the traditional phyllo pastry served in the Middle Eastern countries. You can also find regional baklava recipes, imparted with the aroma of local spices. Whichever is the type you crave for, baking baklava is very easy; all you need is gather the ingredients and follow basic culinary skills for yielding delicious baklava. Here are the ingredients for different recipes. Ingredients in Turkish Baklava Ingredients for Filling

• Walnuts, 1 cup (4 oz.) (finely chopped)
• Almonds, 2 cups (8 oz.) (finely chopped)
• Caster sugar, ¼ cup (2 ounces)
• Bread crumbs, 2-3 tbsp. (optional)
• Cinnamon, 2 tsp. (ground)
• Cloves, ⅛ tsp. (ground)

Ingredients for Syrup

• Sugar, 2 cups (1 lb.)
• Cinnamon, 1 stick
• Lemon juice, 1 tbsp.
• Water, 2 cups

Directions For this recipe, use a 12 oz. packet of phyllo dough for the cover. In a mixing bowl, combine together the filling ingredients - walnut, almond, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Combine well and keep aside. Working on the syrup part, add sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and water in a saucepan and put over medium high heat. Bring it to a boiling temperature and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool down. Take a baking dish (12 × 10 inches) and brush it with melted butter. Simultaneously, brush 10-12 sheets of phyllo with butter and lay them over the baking dish (one above the other). Add filling mixture over the phyllo sheets and spread evenly. Then, lay 12 sheets of buttered phyllo sheet one by one. You can brush butter on top surface of the pastry. Now, score pastry into diamond shapes by using a sharp kitchen knife. The final step is to bake baklava in a preheated oven (325°F) for approximately one hour. Before serving, pour syrup over baklava pastry and allow to absorb for 3-4 hours. Ingredients in Greek Baklava Ingredients for Pastry

• Phyllo pastry
• Walnuts, 18 oz. (finely ground)
• Granulated sugar, ½ cup
• Rose water, 2 tbsp.
• Orange flower water, 2 tbsp.
• Butter, ½ cup
• Oil, ½ cup

Ingredients for Syrup

• Sugar, 2 cups
• Water, 1 cup
• Rose water, ½ tsp.
• Orange flower water, ½ tsp.
• Lemon, 1 slice

Ingredients in Lebanese Baklava Ingredients for Pastry

• Phyllo pastry, 1 packet (1 lb.)
• Unsalted butter, 1½ cups (melted)
• Walnuts, 1½ cups (finely chopped)
• Sugar, ⅓ cup
• Cinnamon, ½ tsp.
• Nutmeg, ½ tsp.

Ingredients for Syrup

• Sugar, 3 cups
• Honey, 2 tbsp.
• Water, 3 cups
• Lemon juice, 1 tsp.
• Cinnamon, 1 stick

Coming to preparation part, the basic steps for all baklava recipes remain the same. An alteration is to place 5 buttered dough layers, add ⅓ of filling, again lay 5 dough layers, stuff ⅓ filling mixture and top with 5 layers dough. Bake it in the regular way, until the top layer turns golden brown. Take out from oven and pour sugary syrup. Allow baklava pastry to absorb maximum syrup and serve.