Baku, Ankara launch joint UNESCO bid for ‘baklava’

ISTANBUL

In a coordinated bid for sweet recognition, Türkiye and Azerbaijan have jointly nominated “baklava” and “pakhlava” for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status.

The joint dossier requests that the pastry be registered under its two commonly used names, reflecting the shared culinary traditions of both countries. A final decision on the application is expected during the 21st UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee meeting, scheduled to take place in Xiamen, China, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5.

If approved, the inscription would formally recognize the dessert as part of the intangible cultural heritage of both Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

The nomination comes amid longstanding debates over the origins and cultural ownership of baklava, particularly between Türkiye and
Greece.

While historians continue to offer differing views on the pastry’s origins, many scholars argue that baklava evolved into its modern form in the kitchens of the Ottoman imperial palace. Palace records dating back to the reign of Sultan Mehmed II document the dessert’s prominence in court cuisine, where it became an imAportant feature of ceremonial life. Among the best-known traditions was the “Baklava Procession,” during which trays of baklava were distributed from the palace to the elite Janissary corps during the holy month of Ramadan.

Baklava has already received international recognition through Gaziantep Baklava, which became the first Turkish product to obtain European Union Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in 2013.

Greece, meanwhile, has maintained that sweets made with thin layers of dough, honey and walnuts were prepared during the Byzantine era and on the Aegean islands, arguing that baklava also forms part of its own cultural heritage.