Baklava, the favorite pastry for Turkish feasts

Baklava is one of the most popular sweets in Turkey, as well as in the Middle East and Balkan countries, and seduces locals and tourists alikeThe cuisine of Turkey's southeastern province of Gaziantep earned praise in December 2015, as it was added to UNESCO's list of "The Creative Cities Network" on gastronomy, a network that launched in 2004 and comprises 116 cities worldwide.

Among the ancient city's premiere delicacies, one finds the filo-dough treats known as baklavas.

Indeed, around 1,100 km away from Istanbul, is the capital of the flaky dessert.

Characteristic of the former Ottoman Empire cuisine, baklava is rich, sweet, with layers of filo pastry filled with nuts and syrup.

The pastry is one of the most popular sweets in Turkey, as well as in the Middle East and Balkan countries, and seduces locals and tourists alike.

The famous Karaköy Güllüo?lu is a baklava bakery run by the Güllü family from Gaziantep, like most baklava producers in the country.

The 300-square-meter baklava bakery, which opened in 1949, sells almost three tons of baklavas during religious festivals or New Year's Eve, said Hasan Akb?y?k, 62, a salesman for Karaköy Güllüo?lu.

According to an Istanbul-based association on baklava and dessert production, Baktad, Turkey produces around 950 tons of baklavas daily.

The average annual baklava consumption per person is around 4.4 kg, Baktad said in a statement.

The industry employs more than 60,000 people at around 25,000 companies across Turkey and makes an annual domestic turnover of around 8.5 billion Turkish Liras ($2.9 billion).

While the industry's exports of baklava amounted to $1 million in 2005, it increased to more than $4 million in 2014,...