"Greek cuisine Greek cuisine (, ""Elliniki kouzina"") is a Mediterranean cuisine. Contemporary Greek cookery makes wide use of vegetables, olive oil, grains, fish, wine (white and red), and meat (including lamb, poultry, veal, beef, rabbit and pork). Other important ingredients include olives, pasta (especially hyllopites, a kind of pasta similar to tagliatelle), cheese, lemon juice, herbs, bread and yoghurt. The most commonly used grain is wheat; barley is also used. Common dessert ingredients include nuts, honey, fruits, and filo pastry. It is strongly influenced by Ottoman cuisine and thus, especially cuisine of anatolian Greeks shares foods such as baklava, tzatziki,"
"Filo Filo or phyllo ( ""leaf"") is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava and börek in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Filo-based pastries are made by layering many sheets of filo brushed with oil or butter; the pastry is then baked. The current practice of stretching raw dough into paper-thin sheets likely originated in the kitchens of the Topkapı Palace during the time of the Ottoman Empire, based on Central Asian and Romano-Byzantine techniques. Baklava is probably the earliest dish using filo, and is documented as early as the 13th century. Filo dough is"
"poured over the cooked baklava and allowed to soak in. Baklava is usually served at room temperature, often garnished with ground nuts. In Turkey, baklava is traditionally made by filling between the layers of dough with pistachios, walnuts or almonds (in some parts of the Aegean Region). In the Black Sea Region hazelnuts are commonly used as a filling for baklava. Hazelnuts are also used as a filling for the Turkish dessert ""Sütlü Nuriye"", a lighter version of the dessert which substitutes milk for the simple syrup used in traditional baklava recipes. ""Şöbiyet"" is a variation that includes fresh cream"
"Güllaç Güllaç (pronounced ) is a Turkish dessert made with milk, pomegranate and a special kind of pastry. It is consumed especially during Ramadan. Güllaç is considered by some as being the origin of baklava. The similarities between the two desserts are many, such as the use of thin layers of dough and nuts in between. Güllaç dough is now prepared with corn starch and wheat flour, although originally it was made only with wheat starch. Güllaç contains walnuts between the layers that are put in milk. Its first known mention is in a 14th-century book, ""Yinshan Zhenyao"" (), a"
"pastry shop was unable to make the traditional baklava recipe profitable under the new pricing rules. To lower the cost of making baklava, pastry chefs substituted hazelnuts for pistachios and added milk to increase the weight of each tray of baklava. The new recipe became known as ""Sütlü Nuriye"". Sütlü Nuriye Sütlü Nuriye is a Turkish dessert similar to baklava, but instead of syrup it contains milk, which gives a whitish look to the dessert. The name means ""Nuriye"" with milk. According to the owner of ""Güllüoğlu Baklava"" the desserts origins go back to the 1980 Turkish coup d'état during"
"in the filling, in addition to the traditional nuts. The city of Gaziantep in southeast Turkey is famous for its pistachio baklava. The dessert was introduced to Gazisntep in 1871 by Çelebi Güllü, who had learned the recipe from a chef in Damascus. In 2008, the Turkish patent office registered a geographical indication for Antep Baklava, and in 2013, or was registered as a Protected Geographical Indication by the European Commission. In many parts of Turkey, baklava is often topped with or ice cream. Armenian ' is spiced with cinnamon and cloves. Greek-style baklava is supposed to be made with"
"been ""an early form of filo"" since the ""Kitab Diwan Lughat al-Turk"", a dictionary of Turkic dialects by Mahmud Kashgari recorded plated/folded bread as one meaning of the word ""yuvgha"". Filo is known by a variety of names in ethnic and regional cuisines. Among them are: Filo Filo or phyllo ( ""leaf"") is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava and börek in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Filo-based pastries are made by layering many sheets of filo brushed with oil or butter; the pastry is then baked. The current practice of stretching raw dough"
"of early Central Asian Turks. The combination of domed metal sač and oklava (the Turkish rod-style rolling pin) enabled the invention of the layered dough style used in börek (especially in ""su böreği"", or 'water pastry', a salty baklava-like pastry with cheese filling), güllaç and baklava. Börek is the general name for salty pastries made with yufka (a thicker version of phyllo dough), which consists of thin layers of dough. Su böreği, made with boiled yufka/phyllo layers, cheese and parsley, is the most frequently eaten. Çiğ börek (also known as ""Tatar böreği"") is fried and stuffed with minced meat. Kol"
"with tarator sauce. Popular sea fish in Turkey include: One of the world-renowned desserts of Turkish cuisine is baklava. Baklava is made either with pistachios or walnuts. Turkish cuisine has a range of baklava-like desserts which include şöbiyet, bülbül yuvası, saray sarması, sütlü nuriye, and sarı burma. Kadaif ('Kadayıf') is a common Turkish dessert that employs shredded yufka. There are different types of kadaif: tel (wire) or Burma (wring) kadayıf, both of which can be prepared with either walnuts or pistachios. Although carrying the label ""kadayıf"", ekmek kadayıfı is totally different from ""tel kadayıf"". Künefe and ekmek kadayıfı are rich"
"Athenaeus. Several sources state that this Roman dessert continued to evolve during the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire into modern baklava. In antiquity the Greek word ' () was also used for Latin ', and the American scholar Speros Vryonis describes one type of plakous, koptoplakous (Byzantine Greek: κοπτοπλακοῦς), as a ""Byzantine favorite"" and ""the same as the Turkish baklava"", as do other writers. Indeed, the Roman word ""placenta"" () is used today on the island of Lesbos in Greece to describe a baklava-type dessert of layered pastry leaves containing crushed nuts that is baked and then covered in honey. Muhammad"
"episode of filmed in Greece. Bougatsa Bougatsa (Greek μπουγάτσα ) is a Greek breakfast pastry consisting of either semolina custard, cheese, or minced meat filling between layers of phyllo. Bougatsa is said to originate in the city of Serres, an art of pastry brought with the immigrants from Constantinople and is most popular in Thessaloniki, in the Central Macedonia region of Northern Greece. Bougatsa is also popular in Veria and Halkidiki (also in northern Greece) and Chania and Iraklion in the island of Crete. In Chania, it is called ""bougatsa Chanion"" and is made by special pastry shops usually open"
"Those who like helva for dessert prefer ""summer helva"", which is lighter and less sweet than the regular one. Frequently used ingredients in Turkish specialties include: lamb, beef, rice, fish, eggplants, green peppers, onions, garlic, lentils, beans, zucchinis and tomatoes. Nuts, especially pistachios, chestnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, together with spices, have a special place in Turkish cuisine, and are used extensively in desserts or eaten separately. Semolina flour is used to make a cake called ""revani"" and ""irmik helvasi"". Olives are also common on various breakfasts and meze tables frequently. Beyaz peynir and yogurt are part of many dishes"
"fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta. The kanojët from Piana degli Albanesi, an Arbëreshë village, are often referred to be the best cannolo. Bakllava is made frequently in Albania, especially around certain religious holidays of Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox. It is prepared on large trays and cut into a variety of shapes. Baklava is either with hazelnuts or walnuts sweetened with syrup. Petulla is a traditional fried dough made from wheat or buckwheat flour, which is as well a popular dish among the Albanians and served with powdered sugar or feta cheese and raspberry"
"poet Antiphanes (fl. 3rd century BC). A number of scholars suggest that the Roman dessert's Eastern Roman (Byzantine) descendants, ""plakountas tetyromenous"" (""cheesy placenta"") and ""koptoplakous"" (Byzantine Greek: κοπτοπλακοῦς), are the ancestors of modern tiropita (börek or banitsa) and baklava respectively. The name ""placenta"" () is used today on the island of Lesbos in Greece to describe a baklava-type dessert of layered pastry leaves containing crushed nuts that is baked and then covered in honey. Another variant of the Roman dish survived into the modern era as the Romanian plăcintă cake. Through its Greek name ""plakountos,"" it was adopted into Armenian"
"pan-fried breads developed by the Turks of Central Asia before their westward migration to Anatolia in the late Middle Ages. (""cf."" Baklava) Another variety is the spiral Skopelos Cheese Pie in which long strips of cheese stuffed phyllo are formed into a spiral and baked or deep fried. Tiropita can also be made in a large pan (ταψί ) and cut into individual portions after baking. The individual form is sold in bakeries throughout Greece, where it is a popular breakfast and snack food. Alternatives to tiropita are spanakopita, a pie with spinach, as well as bougatsa or even cremidopita,"
"Bazlama Bazlama is a single-layered, flat, circular and leavened bread with a creamy yellow colour, found in Turkey. It has an average thickness of 2 cm and diameters ranging from 10 to 25 cm. This popular flatbread is made from wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. After mixing and two to three hours fermentation, 200- to 250-gram pieces of dough are divided, rounded, sheeted to a desired thickness and baked on a hot plate. During baking, the bread is turned over to bake the other side. After baking, it is generally consumed fresh. Shelf life of bazlama varies from several"
"water. Works cited Basbousa Basbousa (), is a traditional Middle Eastern sweet cake. It is made from cooked semolina or farina soaked in simple syrup; coconut is also a popular option to add into this pastry. Orange flower water or rose water is also an optional addition to the simple syrup used in the basbousa. The semolina cake is featured in Arab cuisine, Turkish cuisine, Greek cuisine, Armenian cuisine, Israeli cuisine and many others. It is called ""basbousa"" in Arabic and ""shamali"" in Armenian. The Persian name for the cake, ""revani"", has also entered the Greek and Turkish languages. It"
"On the Indian subcontinent, semolina (called Suji) is used for such confection or sweetmeat [Halwa]]. Such a preparation is also a popular dessert in Greece (""halvas"") and Cyprus (""halvas""). In Greece, the dessert galaktoboureko is made by making a custard from the semolina and then wrapping it in phyllo sheets. In Cyprus, the semolina may be mixed also with almond cordial to create a light, water-based pudding. In Turkey (""Helva""), Bulgaria (""Halva""), Iran (""Halva""), India (""Halva""), Bangladesh (""Halua""), Palestine (""Khalwa""), and Arab countries, ""halawa"" is sometimes made with semolina scorched with sugar, butter, milk, and pine nuts. In Nepal, semolina"
"cinnamon, ginger, powder of rose, sugar, water, rose water and olive oil. In this variant, called also (""kataïfi"") or (""kadaïfi"") in Greek, the threads are used to make various forms of pastries, such as tubes or birds' nests, often with a filling of chopped nuts as in baklava. The world's largest plate of the dessert was made in Antakya, Turkey, in 2017. The tray of ""künefe"" measured 78 meters long, and weighed 1550 kilograms. A previous record attempt was made by rival Nablus in 2009, with a 75-meter tray, weighing 1,350 kilograms. Neither attempt was officially listed as breaking the"
"as sütlaç, salep, tavuk göğsü, mamelika, and in soft drinks. Mastic syrup is added to Turkish coffee on the Aegean coast. In the Maghreb countries, mastic is used mainly in cakes, sweets, and pastries and as a stabilizer in meringue and nougat. In Greece, mastic is used in liqueurs such as Chios Mastiha, in a spoon sweet known as or ""submarine"" (), in beverages, chewing gum, sweets, desserts, breads and cheese. It is also used to stabilise Turkish delight and ice cream. Some scholars identify the ""bakha"" mentioned in the Bible with the mastic plant. ""Bakha"" appears to be derived"
"hours to a few days, depending on storage conditions. Bazlama Bazlama is a single-layered, flat, circular and leavened bread with a creamy yellow colour, found in Turkey. It has an average thickness of 2 cm and diameters ranging from 10 to 25 cm. This popular flatbread is made from wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. After mixing and two to three hours fermentation, 200- to 250-gram pieces of dough are divided, rounded, sheeted to a desired thickness and baked on a hot plate. During baking, the bread is turned over to bake the other side. After baking, it is generally"
"Basbousa Basbousa (), is a traditional Middle Eastern sweet cake. It is made from cooked semolina or farina soaked in simple syrup; coconut is also a popular option to add into this pastry. Orange flower water or rose water is also an optional addition to the simple syrup used in the basbousa. The semolina cake is featured in Arab cuisine, Turkish cuisine, Greek cuisine, Armenian cuisine, Israeli cuisine and many others. It is called ""basbousa"" in Arabic and ""shamali"" in Armenian. The Persian name for the cake, ""revani"", has also entered the Greek and Turkish languages. It is found in"
"cream in summer. Kemal Pasha dessert Kemal Pasha dessert (Turkish: Kemalpaşa tatlısı) is a Turkish dessert dish. It originates from the district of Mustafa Kemalpaşa, Bursa, in Turkey. Traditionally it is made using a cheese variety that is particular to the region. The dessert is prepared from a dough of flour, unsalted cheese, semolina, egg, water and baking powder. The dough is formed into small balls that are fried and then boiled in syrup. It can be eaten fresh or dried. In dried form it is often packaged in boxes of 24-50 portions. It is served with cream in winter"
"Bougatsa Bougatsa (Greek μπουγάτσα ) is a Greek breakfast pastry consisting of either semolina custard, cheese, or minced meat filling between layers of phyllo. Bougatsa is said to originate in the city of Serres, an art of pastry brought with the immigrants from Constantinople and is most popular in Thessaloniki, in the Central Macedonia region of Northern Greece. Bougatsa is also popular in Veria and Halkidiki (also in northern Greece) and Chania and Iraklion in the island of Crete. In Chania, it is called ""bougatsa Chanion"" and is made by special pastry shops usually open from early morning until noon."
"Daktyla Daktyla is a leavened 'country' or 'village' bread from Greece, but also popular in Cyprus and Turkey. It has a segmented shape resembling fingers of bread, which give it its name of 'finger bread' (Δάχτυλα, ""Daktyla"" in Greek means ""fingers""), which is made by making deep slashes in a loaf before baking, or making a row of rolls of dough and allowing them to become attached to each other at proving stage. It is traditionally made from a 'country' flour, which is a mix of wheat flours and fine cornmeal, which gives it a light yellow colour, and is"
"topped with sesame and nigella seeds, some recipes also include nigella seeds in the dough. Daktyla Daktyla is a leavened 'country' or 'village' bread from Greece, but also popular in Cyprus and Turkey. It has a segmented shape resembling fingers of bread, which give it its name of 'finger bread' (Δάχτυλα, ""Daktyla"" in Greek means ""fingers""), which is made by making deep slashes in a loaf before baking, or making a row of rolls of dough and allowing them to become attached to each other at proving stage. It is traditionally made from a 'country' flour, which is a mix"
"is not well documented, its current form was probably developed in the imperial kitchens of the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. The Sultan presented trays of baklava to the Janissaries every 15th of the month of Ramadan in a ceremonial procession called the "". There are three proposals for the pre-Ottoman roots of baklava: the Roman placenta cake, as developed through Byzantine cuisine, The oldest (2nd century BCE) recipe that resembles a similar dessert is the honey covered baked layered-dough dessert ' of Roman times, which Patrick Faas identifies as the origin of baklava: ""The Greeks and the Turks still argue"
"Sütlü Nuriye Sütlü Nuriye is a Turkish dessert similar to baklava, but instead of syrup it contains milk, which gives a whitish look to the dessert. The name means ""Nuriye"" with milk. According to the owner of ""Güllüoğlu Baklava"" the desserts origins go back to the 1980 Turkish coup d'état during which a military officer purchased baklava and found the price to be too high. The officer complained to İsmail Hakki Akansel, who had been appointed Mayor of Istanbul in the aftermath of the coup. Akansel responded by setting a price ceiling on baklava, which was announced during Ramadan. The"
"Tulumba Tulumba is a deep-fried dessert found in Ottoman cuisine and the regional cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire. It is a fried batter soaked in syrup, similar to jalebis and churros. It is made from unleavened dough lump (about 3 cm long) given a small ovoid shape with ridges along it using a pastry bag or cookie press with a suitable end piece. It is first deep-fried to golden colour and then sugar-sweet syrup is poured over it when still hot. It is eaten cold. ""Tulumba"" literally means 'pump' in Turkish. The dessert is called ""pomba"" in Cypriot Greek"
"The most common filling is a sweet semolina custard. Common savory fillings include mizithra cheese or minced meat. In Iraklion, the most famous is made by shops on Morosini Square, by the descendants of Armenian refugees from Asia Minor. The taste of bougatsa varies between regions of Greece. For example, bougatsa in Veria is very sweet and full of cream, while in Thessaloniki it is crunchy and not that sweet. The name comes from the Byzantine Greek πογάτσα, from the ancient Roman ""panis focacius""; ""c.f."" Italian ""focaccia,"" Turkish ""poğaça,"" ""etc."" Greek bougatsa is prepared from phyllo dough wrapped around a"
"of walnut. Dark chocolate-covered melomakarona are also a more recent variation of the traditional recipe. Melomakarono The melomakarono ( plural: μελομακάρονα, melomakarona) is an egg-shaped Greek dessert made mainly from flour, olive oil, and honey. Along with the kourabies it is a traditional dessert prepared primarily during the Christmas holiday season. Typical ingredients of the melomakarono are flour or semolina, sugar, orange zest and/or fresh juice, cognac (or similar beverage), cinnamon and olive oil. During rolling they are often filled with ground walnuts. Immediately after baking, they are immersed for a few seconds in cold syrup made of honey and"
"desserts like baklava. It is served at ""iftar"" meals during Ramadan. In modern times, ""ekmek kadayifi"" is sold ready made. All the cook needs to do at home to prepare the dessert is to make the sugar syrup called ""şerbet"" and top the finished dessert with ""kaymak"" cream or ice cream. To prepare the dessert from scratch with bread, first a piece of bread is carefully hollowed out to make a bread bowl. If the bread is too fresh it may be further dried in an oven. A dark caramel ""şerbet"" is poured over the prepared bread. It is important"
"Koulourakia Koulourakia (, ; singular: κουλουράκι) are a traditional Greek dessert, typically made around Easter to be eaten after Holy Saturday. They are a butter-based pastry, traditionally hand-shaped, with egg glaze on top. They have a sweet delicate flavor with a hint of vanilla. Koulourakia are well known for their sprinkle of sesame seeds and distinctive ring shape. In fact, the word is the diminutive form for a ring-shaped loaf or lifebelt. The pastries can be shaped into braided circles, hairpin twists, figure eights, twisted wreaths, horseshoes or Greek letters, although they are still often shaped into a snake style."