Bulgaria’s Reigning King of Baklava

Ali Kuvvet, the ‘Baklava Grasp’ from Kazandjiska Avenue, has supplied unique Turkish baklava and pastries in Shumen for greater than ten years. A descendent of an previous household of baklava makers, Kuvvet proudly shows certificates proving 55 years of expertise providing hand-made candy treats. “You may have only one piece, but it surely must be of fantastic high quality, and you must know the way to eat it. For full enjoyment, the small items are turned down to permit the sugar syrup to run down,” advises the grasp, who invitations us into his baklavajiinica – baklava store – “Kuvvetoglu.”

A delicacy with an extended historical past

Discovered all over the place from the Balkans to the Center East and past, baklava is commonly related to Turkey, the place the dessert is also called “Nightingale’s Nest” or “Fairly lady’s lips.” However the actual homeland of this well-known dessert continues to be shrouded in thriller, with many Center Jap nations claiming copyright. “Baklava is a decidedly an Arab pastry. It’s not at all Turkish. It was borrowed from Arab nations,” says Prof. Vladimir Chukov, an Arabist from the College of Ruse.

Ali Kuvvet, the Baklava King. Picture: courtesy of the creator

The story begins someplace within the eighth century BC when in Mesopotamia, they ready a dessert of toasted crusts with honey and baked crushed nuts. Greek merchants in Antiquity carried it throughout the Jap Mediterranean, the place it later entered Roman delicacies. Over time, the flavors in baklava have been refined and customised to the palates of the native tradition. Armenians added cinnamon and cloves, and the Arabs flavored it with rose water and cardamom. In the present day in Bulgaria, abnormal pie crusts are getting used for its preparation. Because of this the items find yourself coarser, considerably missing the subtlety of the unique Turkish baklava.

Ali Kuvvet selected to arrange store in Shumen, a regional hub with a big Turkish inhabitants. In a stunning twist, it is a metropolis that appreciates good Turkish pastry and but supplied virtually none. A fifth-generation baklava maker, Kuvvet was born in Gaziantep, often known as “the baklava capital of Turkey.” He began serving to his father when he was solely 8-years previous. “It isn’t straightforward to change into a grasp. You can’t rely solely in your inherited abilities. I enrolled and graduated from pastry faculty.”

Mastering the artwork of baklava

In Turkey, he mastered making 15 varieties of baklava, ten of which he makes in his pastry store in Shumen. Kuvvet’s baklava is made solely from high-quality, pure elements. “You want advantageous crusts, so skinny that you may learn a newspaper by means of them,” he says. “It takes quite a lot of endurance and poise. Moreover expertise, particular flour is required. For good baklava, you additionally want high quality filling,” reveals the grasp. He sources his pistachios, sprinkled generously into the pastry, from Turkey. Walnuts are one other key ingredient. The baklava grasp is adamant that miracles occur when the 2 varieties of nuts are blended.
Kuvvet additionally notes that pistachios are a well-known aphrodisiac. With a smile, he shares that he himself is a father of eight youngsters. One among his sons runs his personal baklava manufacturing facility in Turkey, whereas his youngest son, after mastering the baklava craft to perfection, has gone to Germany and chosen one other job. For each Muslim vacation and the New Yr, Ali Kuvvet gives the Residence for the Aged in Shumen with a few of his candy delights. “Life has no matter that means an individual offers it, themself,” reads a letter of thanks from the administration of the Residence.
Is there any tasty revenue in Ali Kuvvet’s enterprise? No, he says. However he is aware of that the Turkish proverb “the hand that provides receives from the Lord” is true.