Explore Africa’s Heritage

African Folktales

Explore tales that carry Africa’s wisdom, courage, and humor. From river spirits to trickster animals, every story holds a lesson.

African Cuisine

From hearty stews to fragrant grains, experience traditional African recipes and the history behind every dish.

African Proverbs

Ancient African proverbs and modern interpretations — explore the wisdom passed down through generations.

African History

Dive into Africa’s kingdoms, independence stories, and modern milestones that shape the continent today.

Baklava is filo dough stacked with honey and nuts baked with orange blossom water to make a sweet traditional Moroccan North African dessert.

The sweet history of Moroccan Baklava is as diverse as the number of ways it is prepared throughout North Africa. Hint: Filo dough and puff pastry are not interchangeable in this recipe. Filo dough is a dough that is stretched to a semi transparent sheet and frozen. Puff pastry is dough that's layered with butter.

Orange Blossom Water Baklava Recipe

Learn how to make an easy Moroccan North African Orange Blossom Water Baklava recipe with filo dough.

Moroccan Orange Blossom Water Baklava Recipe Serves 12

Total time from start to finish 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

One 16 ounce package phyllo dough

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups chopped walnuts

1 cup melted butter

Baklava Syrup

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

½ cup orange blossom honey

¼ teaspoon orange blossom water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Mix cinnamon and walnuts in a medium bowl, set aside.

Unroll phyllo cut into two equal halves. Cover phyllo with a slightly moist cloth while assembling to keep from drying out. Place 2 sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish, brush generously with butter, and sprinkle cinnamon and walnut mixture on top.

Repeat layers.

Cut baklava into desired serving sizes bake 45-50 minutes.

Combine remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low.

When the baklava is removed from the oven immediately evenly pour syrup over the finished pastry. Allow cooling before serving.

Did you know?

Ilma Zhar or orange flower water is a clear strong, distillation of fresh bitter-orange blossoms. In Morocco, orange blossom water is called Ilma Zhar, a phrase in Arabic meaning flower water.