Baklava in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Quick answer
Baklava is layered filo pastry filled with ground pistachio or walnut, baked until crisp and soaked in a light syrup. Turkish baklava is drier and more layered than the Greek and Levantine versions, with syrup rather than honey and pistachios from Gaziantep as the benchmark. In the UK it is sold by the piece or by weight from Turkish bakeries and patisseries, and the difference between a good box and a bad one is mostly butter and freshness.
Calories and nutrition
- Calories
- 190
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Salt
- 0.1 g
150–240 kcal
Portion: One piece of pistachio baklava, about 45 g.
A typical box serving of four pieces is around 750 kcal.
Estimates for a typical portion, based on standard UK and USDA food composition data. Actual values depend on the recipe and the restaurant.
What separates Turkish baklava from the rest
Turkish baklava uses forty or more sheets of filo rolled thin enough to read through, clarified butter between every sheet, a filling of coarsely ground pistachio or walnut, and a syrup of sugar, water and a squeeze of lemon poured hot over the pastry after baking. It is not made with honey, cinnamon or rosewater; those belong to Greek and Arab traditions. The result should shatter when you bite it, then give way to a soft nut layer, and it should not leave a slick of syrup on the plate. Gaziantep, in the south-east of Turkey, is the origin of the pistachio version and the name most Turkish bakeries in the UK invoke.
The main types you will see in a UK bakery
Classic diamond-cut pistachio baklava is the reference. Walnut baklava is cheaper and heavier. Şöbiyet has a layer of clotted cream inside and is eaten the day it is made. Fıstık sarma is a tight roll with pistachio on the outside and almost no pastry. Kadayıf, made with shredded pastry rather than sheets, is often sold alongside and mistaken for baklava. Cold baklava, soğuk baklava, is a milk-soaked version that has become popular in London bakeries in the last few years. Ask for a mixed box if you have not tried them; a good bakery will tell you which were made that morning.
How to judge quality
Freshness first: baklava is at its best within two days and turns soggy after four. Colour second: the top should be golden, not pale or dark brown, and the pistachio should be bright green, which means it was ground recently and not roasted to death. Butter third: the smell should be butter, not oil; mass-produced baklava uses margarine and you can taste it. Finally, weight: a good piece is light for its size because the layers are thin and separate. Price per kilo in London bakeries ranges widely, and the expensive end usually reflects real Antep pistachio rather than the cheaper Iranian or Californian kind.
Where to buy it in the UK
The Turkish bakeries of North London, particularly along Green Lanes and in Edmonton and Enfield, make baklava daily and sell by weight; several supply restaurants across the city. Outside London, Turkish patisseries in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds have grown quickly and most now sell online. The list below shows councils ranked by the number of Turkish businesses in our directory whose name signals a bakery or patisserie, which is the best proxy we have for fresh baklava.
How to order it
Buy by weight, ask what was made today, and ask for pistachio unless you specifically want walnut. Eat it with unsweetened Turkish tea or coffee; the bitterness is the point. Do not refrigerate it, and do not buy a large box unless you will finish it in two days.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most baklava specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve baklava near you.
Make it at home
Serves 12 · 90 min
Ingredients
- 1 packet of filo pastry, 24 sheets, thawed if frozen
- 250 g unsalted butter, melted and the milk solids skimmed off
- 300 g shelled pistachios, coarsely ground
- 350 g caster sugar
- 250 ml water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Method
- Make the syrup first: bring the sugar, water and lemon juice to the boil, simmer for ten minutes and leave to cool completely.
- Butter a deep 30 by 20 cm tin. Lay in twelve filo sheets one at a time, brushing each with butter and trimming to fit.
- Spread the pistachios in an even layer. Lay the remaining twelve sheets on top, buttering each one.
- Cut through all the layers into diamonds with a sharp knife before baking. Pour any remaining butter over the top.
- Bake at 170°C for 45 to 55 minutes until deep golden all the way down; check by lifting a corner piece.
- Pour the cold syrup evenly over the hot baklava straight from the oven. Leave for at least four hours before serving.
The two rules are cold syrup on hot pastry, and clarified butter rather than melted butter with the solids in, which burns. Shop filo is thicker than bakery filo, so this is denser than the real thing but the flavour is right.