Hafiz Mustafa Pistachio Baklava — Istanbul 1864, Fresh in Tin Box

This is the pistachio baklava made by Hafız Mustafa, the Istanbul confectioner founded in 1864 in Bahçekapı during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz — the same shop that won medals at European confectionery fairs between 1926 and 1938. It arrives in the brand's red metal tin with the 1864 portrait seal on the lid, packed in rows and vacuum-sealed to lock in freshness.

Each piece is built from filo rolled so thin that Hafız Mustafa describes it as translucent — thin enough to see through — layered with butter and a filling of pistachios from Gaziantep, the southeastern Turkish city whose pistachios define this dessert. The full ingredient list on the official recipe is short: wheat flour, wheat starch, pistachio, butter, egg, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and water. No preservatives, no additives, no glucose syrup — the sweetness comes from beet sugar.

A 1 kg tin holds roughly 22–24 rectangular pieces, so the Medium Box (1–1.1 kg) serves a family gathering and the Big Box (2–2.1 kg) covers a larger table — around 44–48 pieces. Baklava itself is older than the brand: Topkapı Palace kitchen registers record it being baked for the Ottoman court in 1473.

Allergens: contains pistachios (tree nuts), wheat gluten, butter (dairy), and egg.

Storage: keep cool and away from sunlight; it can be frozen. Hafız Mustafa's own tests show that frozen baklava defrosted 2 hours in the refrigerator plus 30 minutes at room temperature keeps its crispness for up to 30 days.

The same tin that lines the counters of Hafız Mustafa's Istanbul shops arrives at your door.