You can find baklava — a deliciously sweet, layered pastry — in many countries around the world including Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bulgaria and Turkey. But who does it best?
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00:00The classic, sweet, nutty, layered phyllo pastry that is baklava is one of the oldest
00:06desserts in the world.
00:08And because it is so popular in so many countries, it comes in countless variations.
00:14Our journey begins in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
00:18Here we have divet baklava, a baklava roll filled with walnuts.
00:25I'm Yusuf Shahini.
00:26I've been producing baklava for 17 years.
00:32For this variation, you'll need flour, eggs, starch, water, and ground walnuts.
00:41Once thoroughly kneaded, the dough is cut into portions to form small dough balls.
00:54After preparing the dough, it should rest for two to three hours at least.
01:00Then comes perhaps the most difficult part, rolling it out, back and forth, again and
01:06again.
01:07The starch prevents the flatbreads from sticking together.
01:10The dough must be as thin as possible.
01:15You know it's thin enough when it can't stretch any farther, just before the dough starts
01:19to rip.
01:21If the sheet rips, well, that's a problem.
01:27And finally, we give the filo a good shake.
01:32This way, the surplus of starch is shaken off, and air circulates between the layers
01:36of filo.
01:37It becomes easier to roll that way.
01:42Next up, it's time for the filling.
01:45Jusuf uses ground walnuts, nothing else.
01:51It's important that the walnuts are evenly distributed, making sure there's not too much
01:58on the sides.
02:02After spreading out the filling, we can roll it up with the rolling pin.
02:09The baklava rolls are then cut and placed in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
02:19After baking, the crispy and piping hot rolls are doused with sugared water, known in Bosnia
02:24as agda.
02:25In order for the baklava to absorb the agda, both the agda and the baklava need to be hot.
02:30In about an hour, it'll be fully absorbed.
02:34Before the agda, Jusuf dissolves a whole kilo of sugar per liter of water.
02:42That may seem like a lot, but it's a lot healthier to eat one, two, even three pieces of baklava
02:46than it is to eat a piece of chocolate.
02:49Well, if you say so.
02:54The baklava goes on sale in the old town of Sarajevo the same day.
02:59The nutty pastry is available here in every conceivable variety, even with modern takes
03:03on the classics, like this Nutella baklava.
03:08Bosnians are proud of their baklava, but the battle for the best is one fought on many
03:13fronts.
03:15Like turkey, for example.
03:17Here in Istanbul, the dough has to be wafer-thin, with up to 40 layers.
03:21Baklava here is traditionally made with pistachios, which grow in the south of Turkey.
03:26Only then can it be called original baklava, following strict guidelines laid down by the
03:31Turkish authorities.
03:40In the Bulgarian capital Sofia, walnut baklava is the name of the game, just like in Bosnia
03:46and Herzegovina.
03:47This is because for a time, pistachios were hard to come by.
03:51So the Bulgarians made a virtue out of necessity.
03:55No matter how you make it, baklava is a favorite sweet treat all over Europe.