Gulluoglu - Gaziantep (Turkey)

@gulluoglu is the OG baklava brand in Gaziantep. If I had to select one reason that made me visit the city, Gulluoglu would be it. Upon arriving at the shop, I was received by @muratgullu, who was kind enough to share his knowledge with me.

Mr Murat is the owner of the historic brand and part of the sixth generation of the family who pioneered the recipe of baklava in Turkey.

He proudly told me that, back in the 1800s, his family and that very same shop were dedicated to selling kebabs. However, one of his ancestors, during a pilgrimage to Mecca, noticed people selling the pastry in the cities of Aleppo and Damascus (which are now in Syrian territory, but back then were all part of the Ottoman empire). This gave him the business idea and once he came back to Antep, he started to slowly shift the family’s focus from kebabs to baklava.

Long story short, this generated a whirlwind effect on the whole city that ultimately made Gaziantep baklava what it is today, one generation at a time perfecting the craft and passing it on to the next one.

Mr Gullu did not charge me for the feast nor for the history lesson. While he enjoyed his kadayif, he pointed out the differences between each piece on my plate: The midye for example, was a baklava variation with kaymak stuffed inside its mussel-shaped form. Another interesting one was the dolama, which is cylindrically rolled and has more pistachios in its composition.

I was also taught how to use all my senses in the baklava-tasting process: Smelling the buttery notes that filled the nostrils, looking at the bottom of the pastry to see how shiny it was, hearing the elegant crunch once the first bite was taken and then finally tasting it on the palate once the tongue touched the dough.

During our conversation, a cart arrived straight from the factory, carrying a fresh batch of baklava. We instantly paused our chat to examine it in detail and taste it right out of the oven.

Meeting Mr Murat Gullu was one of the biggest joys of all my food journeys, and in our time together we shared much more than a table. I was told stories from a centenary tradition that he so proudly keeps alive.