Is it Greek, or is it Turkish? Apologies to all my feta-lovin’ friends, but it looks like a slam dunk for the Turkish side: the modern form of baklava first appeared in the Royal Ottoman kitchens at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul; the word was taken from the Turkish language (as was our word for coffee, kahva); and, like Attila the Hun, it came originally from the Centrial Asian steppes.
This tower of sweets ‘n’ nuts, dripping with sugar syrup like a chocolate fountain, was on display at Istanbul’s main shopping and hangout street, İstiklal Caddesi.
