Who likes baklava?
It turns out baklava is not everybody’s cup of tea…
Is it the dry coarse texture of chopped nuts? The intense sweetness? Or maybe it’s the simplicity of syrup or honey? Perhaps we are just too familiar with our richly-flavoured gateaux or fruit and cream-based pastries.
In a local setting, baklava makes perfect sense. I remember a very hot and arduous journey to Corfu. I arrived, overheated and exhausted and headed for the nearest shop seeking relief. It was a Greek patisserie selling baklava and not much else. I bought one.
I was not unfamiliar with baklava, but eating one in 30C heat made me realise how well suited these pastries are to hot climates: they provide a non-cloying, restorative package of sugar and nuts. It might be that they are best eaten under a Mediterranean sun with a Turkish coffee.
However, my version is very British – best eaten in the shelter of a dining room with a big pot of tea.