"In the days before borders and nationhood, there was baklava
By Leo Leonidou
So who owns it now?
A NEW ROW has erupted over the famous traditional sweet dish baklava, with several different countries claiming it as their own.
Last month, the origin of baklava came to a head when the Austrian presidency of the European Union, celebrating Europe Day with the Caf? Europe initiative, distributed a poster that presented baklava as a Cypriot national dessert. Turkey argued that the dish is of Turkish origin, as the name has an affiliation with oklava (Turkish for rolling pin) that’s used in the preparation and the word baklava carries the characteristic of a Turkish word, while Greece argued that the dish is of Byzantine origin, and thus best represented as Greek cuisine.
Turkish State Minister and EU Chief Negotiator Ali Babacan has even lodged a protest in the EU General Secretariat."
More:In the days before borders and nationhood, there was baklava
