Baklava is a sweet pastry made across North Africa, the Levant, and the Middle East. It is made of layered phyllo dough with syrup or honey, nuts, and butter.
The Turkish variation, which is probably the best known world-wide, is made with chopped pistachios or walnuts, and is sweetened with sugar syrup rather than honey.
In the Arabic-speaking countries of the eastern Mediterranean and Egypt, it is called baklawa or baqlaawa (بقلاوة), and is sometimes made with orange flower water or rose water. In Egypt it is sometimes made with butter or ghee.
In Greece, where it called balkavas, honey syrup with cinnamon or clove is common, and the pastry is often cut into a diamond pattern.
In the central Caucasus and Iran, it is called pahlava or pakhlava. Hazelnuts are used in addition to pistachios and walnuts, and cardamom and saffron are sometimes added. Rose water is another common addition.