Definition

Noun: A sweet dessert pastry of Middle Eastern origin, made from many thin layers of filo dough, filled with chopped nuts (such as pistachios, walnuts, or almonds), and sweetened with syrup or honey.

Examples

• We bought a tray of baklava from the Turkish bakery.
• The key to good baklava is using very thin layers of pastry and a fragrant syrup.
• She learned her grandmother's recipe for walnut baklava.

Advanced Usage

• "A piece/slice of baklava": The standard way to refer to a single serving of this dessert, which is typically cut into diamond or square shapes.
  • Would you like a piece of baklava with your coffee?

Variants and Related Words

• Filo/Filo dough/Phyllo (noun): The paper-thin, unleavened dough used to make baklava and other pastries.
  • Handling filo dough requires care to keep it from drying out.
• Kataifi/Kadaif (noun): A related Middle Eastern dessert made with shredded filo dough instead of layered sheets, often filled with nuts and syrup.
  • The pastry shop also sells kataifi, which is similar to baklava.

Synonyms

• Pastry: A general term for a baked food made with a dough of flour, fat, and water.
• Dessert: The sweet course eaten at the end of a meal.
• Confection: A fancy word for a sweet food or delicacy.

Related Idioms and Phrases

(This word is primarily a specific noun for a food item and is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions.)

Noun

1. rich Middle Eastern cake made of thin layers of flaky pastry filled with nuts and honey