Gül Baklava

Geographical Indicationtatli

Gül Baklava (“rose baklava”) is a regional dessert of Çorum shaped by rolling thin strips of yufka around walnuts into a shape resembling a rose petal. Together with has baklava and sıkma baklava, it is one of three traditional shapes of the geographically-indicated Çorum Baklavası, registered with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office; registration announcements also refer to this shape as “gül burma.”

Geographical indication registration

Following an application filed by Çorum Municipality on 23 February 2024, Çorum Baklavası was registered as a mark of origin with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office on 19 November 2025, registration no. 1791. The municipality’s Director of Culture and Social Affairs, Eray Çetinkaya, described gül baklava as one of the three shapes covered by the registration, alongside has baklava and sıkma baklava. See our geographical indication products page for the full picture.

This name should not be confused with İskilip Baklava, protected under a separate registration in İskilip district: İskilip’s product was also known as “İskilip Gül Baklavası” during its application process, but its official registration covers five distinct shapes unique to İskilip (gül, döşeme, şıkırdım, gazete, bülbül yuvası) under the name İskilip Baklavası. The gül baklava described here is instead one shape of the province-wide, centrally registered Çorum Baklavası.

The shaping technique

According to the traditional recipe published by the Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the dough — flour, eggs, olive oil, vinegar, yoghurt, salt and water — is kneaded and rested for half an hour, then rolled into thin sheets dusted with starch. Once dried, the sheets are cut into strips about 10 cm wide; walnuts are placed along each strip, which is then rolled into a rose shape, arranged on a tray, and left to dry for another day. Hot butter is poured over the top before baking, and syrup is added while both the baklava and syrup are hot. The same dough can also be shaped into “Burma Baklava” by rolling a single sheet around a rolling pin and shortening its length — the technique is nearly identical, only the rolling method differs.

Çorum’s take

Gül baklava has long been the classic dessert of wedding and holiday preparations across Çorum and its districts. Where has baklava is layered flat and sıkma baklava is shaped by twisting a whole sheet of yufka, gül baklava is set apart by cutting the dough into strips and rolling each one individually into a rose.

Sources

• Turkish Culture Portal (Ministry of Culture and Tourism) — Gül Baklava, Çorum
• Habertürk / İhlas News Agency — Çorum Baklavası registered
• List of registered geographical indications in Türkiye (Wikipedia) — Çorum Baklavası, Reg. No. 1791, 19 November 2025

🍳 How to make it

Servings: About 20-24 piecesTime: ~2 days (including drying and resting)

Ingredients

• 500 g high-quality flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tea glass olive oil
• 150 g butter
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp yoghurt
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tea glass water
• 200 g walnuts
• 200 g starch (for dusting while rolling)
• Syrup: 500 g sugar, 500 ml water, juice of half a lemon

Method

1. Crack the eggs into a large bowl; add olive oil, vinegar, yoghurt, water and salt, and knead into a dough.
2. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and rest for half an hour.
3. Divide the dough into egg-sized pieces and shape into balls; dust with starch and roll out into thin sheets.
4. Lay the sheets on a clean cloth and let them dry slightly.
5. Cut the dried sheets into parallel strips about 10 cm wide.
6. Place walnuts along each strip and roll it up into a rose shape; arrange on a greased tray and let dry for another day.
7. Pour hot melted butter over the top and bake until golden.
8. Boil sugar with water and lemon juice into a syrup; pour it hot over the hot baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven.
9. Serve once cooled.

💡 Tips

• The same dough can be shaped into 'Burma Baklava' by rolling a single sheet around a rolling pin and compressing its length — only the rolling technique differs.
• Letting the yufka dry properly keeps the rose shape from falling apart when rolled.

A traditional recipe; quantities and times are approximate and vary by household.

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