Baklava

Allergens at a glance

• UsuallyTree nutsPistachios or walnuts in the filling; almonds, hazelnuts or cashews in some styles.
• UsuallyGlutenDozens of layers of wheat-flour filo (yufka) pastry.
• UsuallyMilkBrushed with butter or clarified butter; some styles add kaymak cream.
• SometimesEggsSome handmade filo doughs contain egg.
• SometimesPeanutsCross-contact in mixed bakeries; ask if the kitchen uses peanuts at all.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Vegetarian, but not vegan: butter is standard. Some Greek Lenten versions use oil.
• Not gluten-free: the pastry is wheat.
• Greek baklava usually has honey in the syrup; Turkish and most Levantine versions use sugar syrup.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is baklava?

Baklava is a sweet pastry made from many layers of paper-thin wheat dough, each brushed with butter, with chopped nuts spread between them. It's cut into diamonds or squares, baked until golden and crisp, and drenched in syrup while hot. Turkey, Greece, the Levant and the Balkans all have their own versions, and all of them are rich, sweet and very nutty.

What's in it

Three things: filo pastry (yufka in Turkish), butter, and nuts. The syrup is sugar, water and a squeeze of lemon in Turkey; Greek baklava usually uses honey with cinnamon and cloves.

The nut tells you a lot:

• Fıstıklı baklava: pistachio, the Gaziantep classic, bright green inside.
• Cevizli baklava: walnut.
• Greek baklavas: usually walnuts, often mixed with almonds and cinnamon.
• Levantine baklawa: pistachio, cashew or walnut, sometimes scented with rose or orange-blossom water.

Shapes have their own names in Turkey: havuç dilimi (carrot slice wedge), şöbiyet (triangles with a cream layer), sarma (rolled) and kuru baklava (drier, less syrup).

Allergens and diets

Tree nuts are the core of the dish. If you're allergic to one nut, the bakery's other trays are a risk too: the same kitchen usually makes pistachio, walnut and hazelnut pastries with shared tools and syrup. Peanuts aren't traditional, but ask whether the bakery uses them anywhere.

Gluten is in every layer of pastry. Milk comes from the butter: Turkish bakeries use sade yağ (clarified butter), which still carries milk protein. Şöbiyet and some sütlü (milk) baklava add kaymak (clotted cream) or a milk-based filling.

Egg isn't in most commercial filo, but some bakeries and home cooks work egg (and sometimes milk or yoghurt) into handmade dough. If you have an egg allergy, ask whether the pastry is made in-house.

On the menu

In Turkey it's sold by weight (kilo, yarım kilo) or by the portion (porsiyon). Fıstıklı means pistachio, cevizli walnut, sütlü with milk. Kaymaklı means served with clotted cream on top, and dondurmalı with ice cream. Both add milk.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.