Pakhlava

Azerbaijani pakhlava is made of many thin layers of pastry sprinkled with walnuts, sugar and cardamom. Cut into diamonds, it is brushed with saffron, topped with a walnut or almond on each piece and drenched in honey or syrup after baking.

Baku and Shaki pakhlava are the most famous. It is a key sweet of the Nowruz tray, its diamond-shaped pieces recalling the stars.

Pakhlava is loved across the Turkic world — as baklava in Türkiye and pakhlava in Central Asia.