Is baklava a Greek or an Arab pastry?

Question

I have been in greek and arab reataurants and it is always featured in the menu

Answer 1

it's an eastern mediterrean/arab pastry.

Answer 2

I've often thought that if war breaks out in the Near East, it will not be about sovereignty of the Aegean or the future of Cyprus - in my experience nothing gets Turks angrier than saying 'baklava is Greek' and nothing gets Greeks angrier than saying 'baklava is Turkish'.

The short answer ought to be 'who cares?' - Turkish and Greek cuisine have so much in common that the best thing to do is classify it all as 'Eastern Mediterranean'. It's believed that it might come from as far away as Mongolia (Turkish culture of course came originally from Central Asia), but certainly it has been in Turkey for hundreds of years - but during those hundreds of years Turks and Greeks lived together under the Ottoman Empire, so again who can really say?

It's never really seen as 'originally' Arab, as far as I know, though almost every Arab cuisine includes Baklava. But so do the cuisines of the Balkans and the Caucasus and Iran - in short, all of the former Ottoman Empire and all of its neighbours.

Let's just call it 'world cuisine' and be done with it!

P.S. I can't stand baklava... :(

(as an added note it's usually considered Greek in the USA and Turkish in Europe).

Answer 3

Definitely an Arab one as far as i can imagine. I have always found it quite popular among other Arab deserts.
And also the word baklava does not sound Greek to me at all.

Answer 4

Baklava is a Greek pastry. I've been to many Greek weddings.

Answer 5

baklava is greek, it is even served in traditional weddings it the islands after the ceremony. the name of course sounds greek, turks also make it but the origin is greek.

Answer 6

Sorry you lost the game. It is a traditional Turkish delight. And Turkey has no relevance with the Arabs. Look at the map!

Answer 7

greek def.