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Peninsula On-line, Qatar
May 21 2006
Sparring over baklava spills over to Doha
By Ayse Alibeyoglu
DOHA - The battle over the famous traditional sweet dish baklava
between Turkish and Greek Cypriots in Europe has spread to the local
pastry shops in Doha, owned by baklava makers from Istanbul and
Lebanon.
Historically, baklava was baked only on special occasions, and
considered a food for the rich in Turkey, the top choice of pastry
amongst the Turkish Sultans. It is made with layers of thin dough,
with chopped pistachio in between those layers, added with honey
syrup, various spices, baked and cut into diamond shapes.
At the celebrations marking "Europe Day" last week, baklava, which is
itself a Turkish word, was asserted by the Greek Cypriots as theirs
and introduced as a Greek Cypriot pastry in a European Union (EU)
poster presenting this traditional sweet as the national dish of
ethnically Greek Cyprus alongside the flag of Cyprus.
As a result, the baklava war between Turkey and Southern Cyprus
intensified. Turkish baklava producers are protesting Greek Cypriot
claims that the pastry is their own national creation, with support
for their protest coming from State Minister and EU Chief Negotiator,
Ali Babacan, in the EU General Secretariat.
The owner of renowned baklava producer Haci Sayid Baklava, Halil
Dincerler, commented at a recent press conference on the situation:
"Baklava is Turkish, what the Greek Cypriots are presenting is just a
copy. We will go all the way to Brussels, and we will let the EU
Ministers taste real baklava," reported a Turkish newspaper.
The President of the Baklava and Dessert Producers Foundation, Mehmet
Yildirim, also present at the conference, gave his opinion on the
international food fight, "it is time for Turkey to stand up and
claim its national treasures, Turkey brought baklava with them all
the way from Central Asia, there are official documents proving that
baklava rightfully belongs to Turkey."
These comments were shared with the owners of a Turkish Pastry store,
recently opened in Doha. The baklava makers from Istanbul, told The
Peninsula: "Baklava is definitely more Turkish than Cypriot, the
Greek Cypriot version of the baklava does not taste or look anything
like the original.
`Their version of the Turkish delight, calling it Cyprus Delight, is
another factor that just adds to the increasingly sticky war. Our
Pashas and Viziers (rulers) owned the recipe, though it is made
differently throughout the region, in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria no
one can claim sole rights for baklava."
A Lebanese "baklava" maker; told The Peninsula: "We had enough wars
in Lebanon and we do not want to start another one with Turkey and
Greece.
`However the Greeks stole our recipe, but even they cannot match the
Lebanese baklava, I support Turkey, they should showcase their
baklava to the EU and the rest of the world before it is hijacked by
others. However our pronunciation of the word baklava is the correct
one." An Armenian baklava maker working on behalf of the Lebanese
pastry shop added "the Armenians invented and improved the recipe."
The sticky and rather complicated 'Baklava' battle has ensued,
yesterday. Two hundred baklava makers demonstrated in Istanbul's
historic Sultannahmet district, with banners proclaiming "Baklava is
Turkish" whilst others read "Baklava should unify us, not divide us."
May 21 2006
Sparring over baklava spills over to Doha
By Ayse Alibeyoglu
DOHA - The battle over the famous traditional sweet dish baklava
between Turkish and Greek Cypriots in Europe has spread to the local
pastry shops in Doha, owned by baklava makers from Istanbul and
Lebanon.
Historically, baklava was baked only on special occasions, and
considered a food for the rich in Turkey, the top choice of pastry
amongst the Turkish Sultans. It is made with layers of thin dough,
with chopped pistachio in between those layers, added with honey
syrup, various spices, baked and cut into diamond shapes.
At the celebrations marking "Europe Day" last week, baklava, which is
itself a Turkish word, was asserted by the Greek Cypriots as theirs
and introduced as a Greek Cypriot pastry in a European Union (EU)
poster presenting this traditional sweet as the national dish of
ethnically Greek Cyprus alongside the flag of Cyprus.
As a result, the baklava war between Turkey and Southern Cyprus
intensified. Turkish baklava producers are protesting Greek Cypriot
claims that the pastry is their own national creation, with support
for their protest coming from State Minister and EU Chief Negotiator,
Ali Babacan, in the EU General Secretariat.
The owner of renowned baklava producer Haci Sayid Baklava, Halil
Dincerler, commented at a recent press conference on the situation:
"Baklava is Turkish, what the Greek Cypriots are presenting is just a
copy. We will go all the way to Brussels, and we will let the EU
Ministers taste real baklava," reported a Turkish newspaper.
The President of the Baklava and Dessert Producers Foundation, Mehmet
Yildirim, also present at the conference, gave his opinion on the
international food fight, "it is time for Turkey to stand up and
claim its national treasures, Turkey brought baklava with them all
the way from Central Asia, there are official documents proving that
baklava rightfully belongs to Turkey."
These comments were shared with the owners of a Turkish Pastry store,
recently opened in Doha. The baklava makers from Istanbul, told The
Peninsula: "Baklava is definitely more Turkish than Cypriot, the
Greek Cypriot version of the baklava does not taste or look anything
like the original.
`Their version of the Turkish delight, calling it Cyprus Delight, is
another factor that just adds to the increasingly sticky war. Our
Pashas and Viziers (rulers) owned the recipe, though it is made
differently throughout the region, in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria no
one can claim sole rights for baklava."
A Lebanese "baklava" maker; told The Peninsula: "We had enough wars
in Lebanon and we do not want to start another one with Turkey and
Greece.
`However the Greeks stole our recipe, but even they cannot match the
Lebanese baklava, I support Turkey, they should showcase their
baklava to the EU and the rest of the world before it is hijacked by
others. However our pronunciation of the word baklava is the correct
one." An Armenian baklava maker working on behalf of the Lebanese
pastry shop added "the Armenians invented and improved the recipe."
The sticky and rather complicated 'Baklava' battle has ensued,
yesterday. Two hundred baklava makers demonstrated in Istanbul's
historic Sultannahmet district, with banners proclaiming "Baklava is
Turkish" whilst others read "Baklava should unify us, not divide us."