Golden Layers: Antalya's Baklava Masters

Baklava is layered pastry taken to its extreme: dozens of tissue-thin phyllo sheets, each brushed with clarified butter, stacked with premium nuts, baked until golden, and then soaked in syrup. Good baklava is often said to have around 40 thin layers of phyllo, and the syrup must be cool when it hits the hot pastry or the layers turn soggy. A skilled baklava maker can stretch the dough thin enough to cover an entire table. In Antalya the benchmark is fıstıklı baklava, made with pistachios from Gaziantep; trying it first is the standard test of a shop's skill. Look for busy baklava shops in Kaleiçi and the city centre, where locals queue for fresh trays. Buy it in the morning, when the layers are crispest, and eat it with Turkish coffee.

What it is

• The pastry: many paper-thin layers of dough with butter, filled with pistachios or walnuts and soaked in syrup.
• Popular kinds: classic pistachio baklava, şöbiyet with cream, and walnut baklava.
• Other desserts: künefe (warm cheese dessert) and kadayıf are sold in the same shops.

Where to try it

• Dessert shops (baklavacı) across the city
• Kaleiçi and the city centre for cafés serving baklava with tea or Turkish coffee

Tips

• Eat it with a glass of tea or Turkish coffee to balance the sweetness.
• Ask for ‘fıstıklı’ for pistachio.
• Boxes are well packed for taking home as a gift.

More in Antalya

Explore the old town of Kaleiçi, where many traditional restaurants are, or read our Antalya guide. A food tour is the easiest way to taste many local dishes in one afternoon.

Photos: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons