The Craft Behind It
A Recipe Carried Across Generations
Pistachio baklava is not simply a confection — in Gaziantep, it is a cultural institution.
The city holds EU Protected Geographical Indication status for its baklava, the same legal
designation that protects Champagne and Parma ham. Within that tradition, pistachio baklava
stands at the pinnacle: the product that demands the finest ingredients, the most skilled
hands, and the most exacting technique.
The Saytad recipe was not developed in a commercial kitchen. It was learned at home, passed
from one generation to the next through repetition and observation. The ratios of pistachio
to dough, the temperature of the syrup at the moment of pouring, the thickness of each
butter application — these are not written down. They are felt. And they have remained
unchanged since the recipe first took shape in Gaziantep, decades before Saytad Baklava
opened its doors in Istanbul in 2007.
Today, every tray is still made by hand in our Istanbul kitchens — Bahçeşehir and Yeşilköy —
using the same sourcing standards and the same techniques. We bake fresh every day. We do
not freeze. We do not use preservatives. If a tray is not sold the same day, it is not sold.
This is a commitment to freshness that costs us trays. We consider it non-negotiable.
