Iran/Mediterranean- Lebanese Cooking.
Mediterranean foods, such as Baklava, are for the most part, high in fats. Because of the large quantities and manufacture of olive oil, it is a main ingredient in many Greek foods. Yet, because of other dieting in the Mediterranean area, many of the people have high life expectancy. Eating red meat sparingly, many nuts and grain products, and lots of fish, all contribute to many people living longer than many other countries. .
Forty percent of all calories taken in by the Mediterranean diet are fats reports Mediterranean Diet, so it is no wonder that baklava is a favorite dessert in the area. Baklava is many sheets of dough coated with butter and layered with nuts and a sugary, honey syrup over top. It is a popular Greek holiday dessert, which reflects the tastes of the Mediterranean people. .
Many Middle Eastern countries boast that the history of baklava began in their country, but the most accurate record comes from the Assyrians. They took thin dough and combined nuts and honey with it to produce the first baklava dessert. Because of the rich flavor and sweet ingredients, baklava has for many years been considered a food for the rich. Sultans, emperors, kings, and leaders all stimulated their taste buds on baklava, ordering the treat for special occasions. .
Greek merchants and sailors traveling to the Middle East for trade, soon came upon this delicious dessert and brought it to the Greek islands. The Greeks improved the dough, making it thinner and calling it "phyllo," which means leaf in Greek. The dough did not taste so bread-like but more like a pastry. From there, many cultures added their own "special ingredients." The Armenians were the first to put cinnamon and cloves into the baklava. The Arabs gave the baklava flavor through rose-water and cardamom. Many countries claim ownership of the baklava, mostly on account of their additives to the dessert.
