Emel’s Baklava

“Baklava is not Arabic, Greek, Armenian, Turkish, Assyrian or Persian. It has Slavic origins. There is a settlement in Crimea, part of the city of Sevastopol, which was occupied by various invaders including Greeks, Romans, Mongols, Ottomans and Soviets. They created a cake with many layers to symbolize the city’s diverse cultural identity. This settlement was called Symbolon in ancient Greek times and was renamed Balık Yuva by the Ottomans, meaning ‘fish nest’. The dessert was named after