Hush: The sound of baklava

Is it the taste or the sound of baklava which counts? When you put the baklava in your mouth, there is this slight rustle that you hear which is an essential part of the satisfaction you get from the beloved sweet of Turkish cuisine. If that hush sound is missing, if the flaky layers of baklava lack the essential crispiness, you can never get the same taste. So, what is the secret to getting that rustling sound created by those super thin flaky layers?

These questions were the base of our talks in Barcelona at the fifth Science & Cooking World Congress on Nov. 11-13, where this year’s theme was “Texture.” It is true that the texture of food greatly affects our perception of taste in food. Together with Spanish pâtissier Irene Morcillo, our shared session was on baklava as an example from Turkish cuisine. We not only talked about the secrets of the much-loved sweet; moreover, the rustling sound of baklava echoed in the halls of the University of Barcelona as I carried enough bites for almost 250 people.

When we eat baklava, the first thing we experience is that pleasant rustling sound. If you don't hear that hush sound when you crush a slice of baklava in your mouth, you sense that there is something wrong. It is the same with all foods that are meant to be crispy. When we eat crispy foods, can the flavor be fully perceived without the sound of the crunch coming to our ears? Who wants a soft mushy chip? When a chip package is left open and absorbs all the moisture, causing the chips to go limp, it’s the most unsatisfying thing. It is certain that the texture of the food we eat is a very important factor in our taste perception and the sensation that food leaves in the mouth affects the flavor we get from it.

The secret of baklava

So, what is the secret of that sweet crunch that affects our taste perception when we put a slice of baklava in our mouth? The secret of good baklava is undoubtedly using the right ingredients and highly skilled craftsmanship. The selection of the right ingredients is of utmost importance. The type of flour has to be from hard wheat varieties that have low gluten and high protein content. Coşkun Koçak, the founder and master of the leading baklava shop Koçak in Gaziantep, says they use the locally produced flour made from indigenous early wheat varieties of the region which has been the cradle of wheat cultivation in history. Secondly, the use of clarified butter is crucial in getting that unique crispiness. Good baklava makers buy their butter from Urfa in spring, when the butter gets its full flavor from the sheep that graze the fresh grass and herbs of the blooming pasture highlands. But then, the butter has to be clarified completely from all the milk solids, otherwise, the moisture remaining in the butter will ruin the crispiness. It is the pure fat that seeps into the paper-thin layers of dough, separating them and creating that soft hush when you bite into a morsel of baklava. Only this way, the moisture content in the baklava is kept low and the desired crispness can be achieved. This factor is so important that most baklava makers have their clarified butter (sadeyağ in Turkish) specially made in spring and stored in cold storage in tins.

But of course, it is not only the ingredients that make a good baklava. Technique and mastery are the most important factors. When it comes to mastering the art of baklava making, it goes without saying that there are a series of actions that seem easy but require years and years of apprenticeship. The whole process includes many steps. It is not only rolling out the dough in the thinnest way possible but also laying out those extra thin layers in the tray with the just-right amount of filling of nuts, cutting the baklava and pouring the just right amount of melted clarified butter to saturate the layers of dough without making it fatty but getting that much-desired crunch. All those are only the first steps of a long process of baklava making. Then comes the cooking part. The ideal oven for good baklava is a traditional stone oven made from basalt volcanic stones, wood-fired with valonia branches. A master moves around the baklava trays, rotating them in the oven one by one, keeping an eye on each tray monitoring the cooking process and adding more clarified butter if the baklava does not rise enough to have that particular crunch. The master in front of the flaming fire oven is like an orchestra conductor who is in control of the whole thing. Last but not least action is pouring the syrup over the baklava. If the consistency and temperature of the syrup are not right, the whole process can be ruined in a matter of seconds. I remember talking to Koçak years ago about the secrets of baklava, I noticed that he was a bit edgy, he seemed to have his mind elsewhere. Finally, he cracked, and said, “So sorry to interrupt, but I have to go down to the atelier to give the sherbet to the baklava, I cannot leave this to another person!” and off he rushed to pour the syrup onto the trays of baklava just out of the oven. The perfection comes from the consistency of the syrup poured over the baked baklava at the right time and in the right proportion. A good baklava master has to execute all these actions with perfect timing. Thanks to these intricate subtleties, the baklava comes out as crispy as possible, and that pleasing rustling sound is thus achieved.

To confess, I had a totally different topic in my mind for this year’s theme, considering talking about Turkish delight and examining its unique, hard-to-achieve texture. However, Peré Castells, the founding scientist behind the congress, suggested baklava as a topic, introducing me to Irene Morcillo, who owns the renowned, prize-winning Tokyo Patisserie in Seville. Irene is the sweetest person, and her story is multi-layered, pretty much like a baklava. Years ago, she married a Turkish journalist and eventually lived in Türkiye for several years. She fell in love with baklava and learned the intricacies of the technique of baklava making from Nadir Güllü, owner/founder of Güllüoğlu Karaköy in Istanbul. Finally, upon returning to her homeland, together with her husband, Ernur Ağan, they started their pastry shop, creating their own versions of baklava. For her workshop, I contributed with Güllüoğlu baklava provided by Murat Güllü. Also, big thanks go to Koçak, who volunteered to send me 200 pieces of individually wrapped baklava all the way from Gaziantep. It was worth carrying the huge pack, and paying a bit of extra luggage, but all was fine in the end. As the congress delegates and participants bit the sweet morsels, the rustling sound of baklava echoed in the halls of Barcelona University!